but only for life
"But Only for Life," June 28, 2022 (#179)
title from Lorenzo in Taos by Mabel Dodge Luhan (1932)
In the Heart of the Heart of the Country: And Other Stories by William Gass (1968)
The Dark Country by Dennis Etchison (1982)
In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero (2016)
But Only for Life
Not interested in the logarithmical disorders of my lyricisms,
motor oil and his moneybelt with identification sealed in plastic
strung him along with broken promises. And little money left to
me now so naturally it must have happened that way. Of course,
look at them. I must've popped their virgin ears. Who's got
that my parents had risked everything to escape? Besides that,
through the crack I could see the sink, now milky. Flakes began
moving in from all directions, cutting across dividers, heading
a dream and making it come true, no matter the obstacles. The only
pickly word, a sour betrayer. It was supposed to fill your thoughts
and your personhood given back, and then you will at last rest in
a random dude because you want a metaphorical victory. You don't move
cotton onto what you can, the accumulated wisdom, as they say
to make sure she's leveled right from the start, before you let
the supervisor cut their pay in half, at which point they went on.
6-28-22
8-19-21
9-7-21
8-17-16
9-3-21
9-3-21
Eight Elvises by Andy Warhol