Читать книгу Rodeo in Reverse - Lindsey Alexander - Страница 14

ELEGY AT TWENTY-THREE

for Brian

Jon’s brother’s best friend died. She was twenty and likeable.

I made a hamboat and brought over some Bud Light.

Later we all went out to karaoke. I was sadder when my dog died,

but I knew more what to do then, too.

I always wore my seatbelt until this happened,

when I stopped.

What does all that even mean?

In the paper a while back, I learned how at the zoo in my hometown

an elephant’s fall resulted in cracked ribs and its killing—

We went to karaoke. But they would only show the lyrics in Japanese,

so really we were just dancing with our breath

of tequila and French fries. Pop song,

pop song, pop song:

whatever we wanted, we thought we took it.

Eliza’s hair was shorter than yours until you cut it then it was longer and she was dead.