1 by mark cugini
from I'M JUST HAPPY TO BE HERE NOT A VERB, IT'S YOU LOOKING Imagine a row house that all eight of your last lovers are squatting in— imagine all of their t-shirts smelling exactly like the best worst parts of you, and then imagine your high school crush doing the Macarena before falling through a trap door and being eaten by alligators. Think about the last time you thought you were eating alone, and then think about what I mean when I ask you for a hair tie—this isn’t really a re-run, is what I’m saying. I want to hang a rope swing off your nose and I want to get to know your floorboard, and then I want to kiss you hard, like there’s a prize at the bottom. There’s a pocket mirror lodged between my chest— if you look at it close enough, it’ll show you every camera angle that makes you look like a Groupon for half-priced snow cones. Show me how to download your doubts and show me the secret folder where you save all of your embarrassing tattoos, and then show me where we can click left and click left and click left until you know that there's never been a time when you weren't the most beautiful thing ever made. |
MARK CUGINI is the author of I'M JUST HAPPY TO BE HERE (Ink Press 2014). His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Hobart, Sink, Barrelhouse, Fanzine, Everyday Genius, and other publications. He is a founding editor of Big Lucks, a contributor at HTMLGiant, and a curator of the THREE TENTS reading series in Washington, DC. Visit him at markcugini.com. |