Those of us over 21 [and some under]
will drunkenly spider down the dark streets,
climb up light poles to get a better view
of this tragic town we're destined to flee.
Monique, Kory, and Shanice will show us
the way to dance-floor glory
while people in the shadows skip toward us,
spin us by the necks like sparklers. We'll fly
through the air, our bodies a trail of light
spelling every identity we wish to claim.
Jerome will be GiGi—sweats traded
for a skin-tight black dress and pumps.
Our head-back cackles will make the club-goers
think we're not fully committed to suicide.
We'll save strobe-light flashes like Polaroids,
imprint our wild grins and sweaty chests.
May and Kim will lick their salty forearms, reuse
the pseudo-happiness seeping from their pores—
the finite amount they were born with
has run out. And we will—we will—and we—
we never
allow ourselves to ignite the dark club
with our shining white teeth. We filter out
of Brush Mountain B and into the vacant
parking lot. We grind our hands into the asphalt.
Matty Bennett is the author of What Are The Men Writing in the Sugar? (forthcoming from Rebel Satori Press, 2021). He earned his MFA in poetry from Virginia Tech. He works for an education non-profit and is a head high school cross country & track coach in Providence, Rhode Island. His poetry has appeared in Juked, Philadelphia Gay News, Watershed Review, The Bookends Review, and more.
Instagram: @mattykbye