In The Play

You laughed out loud

At all the wrong times

In the movie

The local town-folk

Turned away

Staring through hair

We ran for the parking lot

I lost you In the halogen trails

You were replaceable

Most any night

But not that one

Not the night

That you laughed out loud

At all the wrong lines

In the play

Singing counterpoint

In your pretend language

From someone’s childhood

When every minute

Was special in some way

You traced lines

Around my heart

All your dreams – and mine

Just fucked up

Background brain noise

• Poetry