july-ku
by rcribay
as fireworks flash:
sneaking sips
of beer.
July came
with reduced heat
but plenty of shine,
flexing its thermal muscles,
ramping up
to what will be unbearable,
giving good reason
to flee northward
and not return
till fall’s respite.
why i can smell it on your teeth
and in the next words you’ll say
i can smell it like a machine in
a fairy tale
sniffing out the bad plot lines-
when i am at night
getting ready to sleep
and it’s just me
and my mind
and the darkness-
i smell it too.
i am caught between
a rock and an anxious mess,
and i smell it on both.
given the recent turn for the better
in the lottery
i’ll try my hand at death soon
