Hollywood Girl
she rushed into
the bar
it was raining outside
she was drenched
with the scent of
wet concrete

she sat down
on a tall stool
and
asked for a martini
running her hand
through her wet hair
shaking it dry

she was alone
and
sat that way for a few hours
throwing back
vodka
and
olives
dismissing every man
who approached her

she paid her tab
$167.81
grabbed her coat
picked up her bag
and
walked out the door
back into the rain

she stumbled a few blocks
to an old apartment building
where some actor from the 50’s
used to live
she slurred a hello
to her roommate
and
her roommate’s boyfriend
walked to the kitchen
poured herself a shot
threw it back
with no grimace
and
proceeded to her bedroom

she undressed
throwing her clothes across the
floor
but
making sure to hang her coat
it was an heirloom from her grandmother

the Hollywood girl
crawled into bed
with a smile

she had made it
to the land of lost dreams
and
dying promise
 
No Name #2
life’s a gamble
so why do people choose to gamble more
I never understood it
I guess because I’ve never won big
if I did
I would buy an old truck
a nice small 2-bedroom house
near some body of water
maybe the canals
and
get a new phone number
I wouldn’t invite anyone over
I would restart my life
as a retired doctor
who owns a french press
and
a typewriter with a broken s key

Meatloaf Life
I didn’t have the American Meatloaf life
I don’t remember my parents together
my mom kidnapped me and my brother
when I was 4

I didn’t have the American Meatloaf life
my dad was a drug addict
and
my mom worked all the time
I had a Chinese takeout life
I had a Pizza Hut delivery life
I had a moldy bread life

I didn’t have the American Meatloaf life
I tricked myself into believing I did

my brother is now my mother
and
I am now my father

oh how we really do grow up to be
our parents

I didn’t have the American Meatloaf life
I had the typical American life