The Backside of Everything You Will Never Think About
Roving the lounge
I roll up to a family
with one of those dual seat strollers
and make my introduction, viagra sale
“Are those two ‘youngins’ twins?”
“They are almost Irish twins,” says the mama.
Irish twins?
I’ve never heard
of that one
what does that mean?
Says mother:
“In order to be an Irish twin you would have to be born within twelve months of your sibling. But these two were born thirteen months apart.”
“Hmmm,”
I hmmm, realizing
my Dad and aunt are Irish twins.
I’ve got tell Dad
how he’s spent seven decades
probably not knowing
this part of his identity.
The things you can learn
when you go twin watching
at the Pfister.
I really have met a lot of twins
by roaming the Pfister.
The very same day
as near-Irish twins
I meet fraternal twin siblings,
Levon and Levona,
almost two-year-olds
pausing for pictures
with the lion twins.
Now, what kind of twin are the lions?
There’s a hat on the bar
beside a mostly empty coffee.
Snappy hat—
red black grey feather
leather hat,
probably smells good
but I don’t sniff stranger’s hats,
taking pictures of them
is enough.
This quiet evening with the curtain in a knot
inspires me to write a birthday note.
I know three people with birthdays today
that I’m going to give this to:
“Happy Birthday to the missing tooth
and the room with no people in it
and to the shrink wrap bag
with nothing shrink-wrapped in it
happy birthday to the backside
of everything you will never think about
even with a search engine
and fifty widdle five-year-olds
who ask about when fish feel sad
and what is inside the popcorn kernal
to make it explode?
Those kids always talk about eternity
but I’m talking about the backside of eternity
and I’m wishing it a very happy
a berry merry birthday.”
First I give this note to Birthday Bridget
along with my spare Tom Thumb typewriter.
As we sit on the orange velour couches of the lounge
my friend Natalie exclaims
this line thrice:
“The hot cocoa here, oh!
Thick and rich!”
She can’t believe how delicious it is,
or how she’s ordered hot cocoa
all over the city—
disappointing hot cocoas
concoctions of wateriness
contained in styrofoam cup
contrasted
to this whipped cream crowned cocoa,
of thick quality chocolate
that leaves rings
formidable
frappe-esque stain
inside ceramic mug.