First

Sauntering wet fish & arrogance of youth/ in a cupid mask/ got a slapping/ skewered w/ its teeth/ num-num-num/ tasty/ Bottoms up! (Nice to meet you, I’m Moby Dick – you must be Ahab, lover)/ Romantic that -/

Teenagers are easily bribed with tongue like/ kids for Christmas/ can’t talk back through the kiss/ (bullshits shit-tip)/ Gave me a gift to babysit/ on your days off/ Tastes like me babe; stays like me babe; stains like me babe; stings like me babe; burns like me babe – me for you/ uuurrrrrrrggggh/ Whiskey hipflask/ I was 16/ fuckin idiot/ silver jamesons strapped to me thigh/ like a block of dyna-

(POW!)/

mite/

Smalltime suicide bomber/ Don’t destroy much beyond the perimeter/

it was my peg-leg/ crutch/ That Love/ That jubb-jubb-do-me-good-Belzebub-gulp-gulp/ Calling out to God w/ a stuffed/ gormless/ gash/ silence but for your dogs reply/ mute/ he spits up against the latex net/ placing bets/ for the prize/ lies lies lies/ like pimento/ I can’t watch….

And you-!!/ Snip!/ Snip!/ Stop acting like a child!!/ Chop!/ Chop!/ Hack it off!!/ Hung from the crutch/ Still suckling at your silver teet/ Tastes like me babe; stays like me babe; stains like me babe; stings like me babe; burns like me babe; hurts like me, don’t it, when it all go-go-gone/

Burn baby burn/ bye-bye-papa-pop/ pop-cherry-cheerio/ 5 years senior/ 5 years sinister/ one more off the ‘things to do’ pile/ (kids).