Tyler Antoine
Merger
couples pump in sync
on the lonely tandem
I too am available tonight
can I be the only one
finding lawn chairs stacked together
resting on an old elm tree
truly erotic?
no and of course not
we all find appealing
ideas that fit
inside one another
the day we discovered that we were influencers
it was beautiful
the way we held each other
the private thoughts
we shared with one another
bounced off one another
and after we exported
the best parts for popular consumption
I felt like I could dream
forever there
with you
the brands that we could render
exquisite pearls
locked inside the shells
we like to call one another
what a wonderful feeling
I thought yes, finally
now we can sleep
sick and dreaming
eyes to the ceiling
dead to the world
run away to smoke
mad bowls on the beach
hidden away in your reef tent
all green
ever plastic
and I love the way the sun
glows through the screen
and onto your face
the way it renders
into a shape
that neither of us can touch
but still somehow share
Boneless Wings
hello again
from the hole in my head
it’s the size of a penny and smells like copper
Abraham Lincoln
(a man famous for appearing on pennies)
is taking my mom to Applebee’s
for their second date
$1 long island iced teas
half-price starter apps
their burps of satisfaction
will satisfy each other
as they make peace
with whatever can happen
like an antique clock
hammered into a hillside
I think sometimes
of taking all of my memories of you
and putting them on a boat
and leaving them there
Again
another day
sun hangs high
you have to love it
you love to see it
see where the light
meets dusty blinds
takes away vision
ends stupid dreams
congratulations
on the something
that loves you
me I just love
imagining its shape
the breakfast it serves you
the hiss of the morning skillet
I could be as tall as the morning
if I really set my mind to it
if I really thought about it
I could reach the sky
arms wide for lunch time
grasping at air
grasping at nothing
just another little girl
waiting for her mom
standing beside the knife case
at the local Salvation Army
staring at the floor and saying
this time I’m gonna do it
this time it’s gonna happen
this time I’m gonna fly
Tyler Antoine is from Wilmington, Delaware. His work has previously appeared in the little black book of bedfellows and the Painted Bride Quarterly.