by Drew Buxton
T-shirt Time
The timing of dinner
is important. Carbs and
protein are for dancing
but can’t stand in the way
when the first vodka Red Bull
hits.
The time after showers and hair
gel is spent on the couch in
black and white tank tops,
fidgeting and checking watches,
crossing and uncrossing legs.
Something is building.
The black Ed Hardy
hangs with a snake and a
dagger passing through,
dry and unwrinkled.
The words read Death
or Glory.
The cabs have been called,
but haven’t yet
arrived.
Beat Up the Beat
The beat is relentless,
but you have to take a stand
against it and
fight back.
Shots—the only word
that can pull you away.
They go down like
going down the drain.
They go down like
nothing.
Fight.
Fight until the fist doesn’t
pump anymore, until it
just hangs from your jeans pocket
by the thumb.
Go until you drop.
Push on until you get
carried out.
Burgers for the Boys
JWoww didn’t even get
her shoes off.
Snooki lays still,
in her coffin.
Blowout still
perfectly frozen
in place, Pauly
D remains in control.
Pauly D on the ones and
twos. Pauly D on the grill.
Cheddar slices on the patties before
taking them off so they melt a little.
Back inside, there is life.
Sitch is still standing.
He’s in the kitchen,
slicing onions.
****
Drew Buxton is a writer from Texas. His short story collection So Much Heart won the Sergio Troncoso Award for Best First Book of Fiction. His debut novel Daytona Teddy Riggs was recently published by Hub City Press. Find him at drewbuxton.com.