stained pink rayon

first responders were able to get him out

the stained pink rayon nightgown beneath
his torn clothes was unexpected
no one says a word

he was not in the water but he was taken
by the 8-foot wave nonetheless
rough surf justifies
a rough serf

higher and higher
both he and the waves
he had plenty of sunscreen
slathered on slippery as a forlorn right whale
the right whale for harpooning
back in the day

humidity is up
but it’s only monday
im bleeding
he says

so he’s got that going for him

What I’m Reading:

… Scream it.
Automata! Automata! Yes, I am behnt
at the edges, powdering my cheeks
A coccyx electricity gets me going,
arranging my limbs mechanically,
oiled ambrosia in the patinated city
where swans whirr in fixed loops.

— Temperance Aghamohammadi / “Behnt: Automata”