Bedlam at the oasis
she directed me into the pile
A short smack of her tongue
made me feel comfortable
The restraint in effect
was a saddle rock
and two birch trees —
the kind you pine for.
Guys were flaying
out of their
flaming reality —
sieves of scum
on the floor
She poured her
midnight jewels
onto the one she
had scored upon.

did you sneak my eyes
into the locker room?

there are two ways
out of this mess

duplicate defender
at the ready

i’m caring for my body
in multiples of two

in and out
i move in waves

never to abandon
a sage burrow

or: are these
forsaken lives?