lust fragment 1

1.

They say only the good die

young, and isn’t that right:

.

I’m not a bad boy but

I bought a leather jacket.

.

I am still alive.

Can you tell

.

I’ll be whatever you want?

It’s vintage from that thrift shop

.

on First Avenue, you know the one

with racks and racks of leather and denim.

.

You asked me if it was

but I shrugged and pretended

.

not to know. I shrugged it off.

It fell from my shoulders,

.

it was too big for me

so on your hardwood floor

.

I made a pile of my things.

I laid my back on white cotton

.

and sighed. I reached my palms

upturned towards the skin of your thighs.

.

You squinted, spit on my chest

my teeth opened

.

wide, I said

yes take off, take off—

.

You again, asking “Why

don’t you ever take off your pants?”

.

As if in nothing but our pale skins

we could give each other ourselves.

This poem was included in my book "I want you to feel ugly, too," which can be read on issuu. This fragment was originally published in Mineral Lit Mag's Lana Del Rey mini issue.