Copper Cupcakes

A cigarette sneaks through bullet-hole blasts of sugar pebble sand
inching an ankle onto the fake woven blanket that speaks with my mother's voice
I'll rock you through sunburnt aloe absent late evenings
Calloused feet burning a lucky charm path of footprints through the asphalt

Garbage cans dot the butter dappled beach, freckles of refuse rust-
ruins of liver spotted hands rubbing sun screen on the children you
could never decide if you wanted

Tongues bit off mid sentence, leaving flapping mouths like trout gaping for breath,
a hook adorning your upper lip; they smile while their mouthsfillupwithblood

The disntant clink of glass clad corona dances a tango with the pier's monotonous horn

Drowning

Fish-lips chapped and pursed

covered in my mother’s lipstick-

the shade they discontinued that

differed from the color of my father’s collars

suck the marrow from my spine

as I wince and writhe,

pleasure centers making hollow homes

in my collarbones for masochistic lovers

Curled toes that hug the end of wooden

diving boards, poised and solemn

perched on the pressure of knowing you

were given more choices than your parents were

Bubbles prick the surface of a syrup coated pond

dappled shades of honey-wheat

a trench coat cover for four years of

planning on American Beauty that didn’t end in a bang