Pink Sherbet Meridian, or the Evening Razzmatazz in the West

she scalps native bubbles,

soapy water splatters

like forbidden glitter on the brow

of a hardened man

renamed “Pop-Pop”

without consent.

you dare touch the gold tooth,

the one we never would.

giggles, clears his raspy throat.

“Enough”!

he rises,

running back

at first whimper.

napkin love note

The key to a good love letter

is timing

oh, and also

the right audience.

The key to a good love letter

is your confidence

in affection’s return.

Unrequited love is ambition’s death.

oh, and also

your words.

A good love letter

isn’t a text message,

it’s flowy cursive

exasperated scribblings

signed with x’s and o’s

and hearts

the author filled in

[him]/[her]self

with perspiration from trepidation.

oh, and also

maybe a theme?

A love letter can be

as simple as

macaroni and glue

if it’s from you.

oh, and also

a powerful motif or a memory.

A love letter is

a piece of your soul

manifest on paper.

Soul left behind?

oh, and also

a plot?

Actually, it shouldn’t be that long.

The plot is your story

yet untold.

A love letter is the

saddest truth

you muster.

I’m sorry you had to write it,

that you thought the recipient

didn’t already know.

oh, and also

glitter

A love letter unopened is

a suicide note.