"beware of dog" i hung on my door with care
and sat on a cheap ikea chair waiting
with a handgun and a pack of cigarettes
for the woman to arrive with a knife

the sun was setting on a thanksgiving evening
with nobody around but roaches waiting
for me to spill crumbs of blueberry cupcake
that they think the girl will make

i was dressed to die politely, quietly
after a stumble and a broken vase
listening to the audio book version
of my unwritten autobiography

when a pair of knocks came at eleven
i was drooling, with a second from alert
and instead of getting hurt, i decided not to open,
it was pathetic, but i loved her, the shallow flirt