Closed at Dusk

Time is an aphrodisiac
the mother lotus
I tell you this as I swing
full throttle on two Adderalls
you’re laughing
I stop and stare
into your sad gray eyes
never realized how gray
I know your skin
the pale of your fingertips
pressed against my lips at dusk

The sirens wail through the street
as some unrelated tragedy booms into existence
while I blow up balloons
for a birthday
I have no interest in celebrating

There’s a mirror on the wall behind you
and I watch myself
stare into you
wait like this for some damn sign
a smirk even

The tide’s out
I can smell it
some over-eager people-pleaser part of me
that never matured
wants to grab your hand and run to the sea

A mosquito buzzes by
you blink
I’ve blown the last balloon up
and we look at them with deflating hope
for some long winded miracle that neglected
to rescue us

I turned mute
you became simple-minded
we can stand here like a defunct Ken and Barbie
wrestle each other to the beach
or die trying

It’s dusk
the stench of the tide tightens your stomach
or perhaps I’ve made you sick to your stomach
with over aggressive balloon blowing

Dimwits
we oozed into creatures of habit
let the cricks and cracks of night moan in
while we pull the shades down
and cover our stone hearts