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“76 degree morning already” & “the woman drinking a cosmopolitan alone” by John Grochalski



76-degree morning already

The birds

no longer chirp

and the hum of air conditioners

mixes with the polluted

canadian wildfire air

the radio d.j. tells me

it’s a 76-degree morning already

and it’s going to be steamy today, he says

hitting the mid-90s

but it’ll feel 100 out there

he sounds excited by this

like he has a hard-on

the way electric company executives

have hard-ons this time of year

my eyes burn

and my throat feels dry

my breath tastes like wood chips

and stale coffee

the streets are sweaty armpits

waiting to envelop me

they smell of eau de rotten garbage and dog shit

soaked in the fetid water

the fop sweat of capitalism

pouring out of us

from head to toe.



the woman drinking

a cosmopolitan alone

noon is the perfect time

for drinking a cosmopolitan by one’s self

but then he had to show up

greasy hair

aviator shades

bright rayon shirt

unbuttoned to his belly

a black heart tattooed on his chest

i can see it all over your face

as he tries to talk to you

a small good thing

that you did for yourself

ruined

and you chug the last little bit of drink

get some cosmo on your chin that hangs there

then gone

gone

not even waiting

for the check

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