the raffish
by Richard King Perkins II
featured in Issue 1
featured in Issue 1
Like a used book in the library free bin,
you’ve become an overlooked thing
that no one wants to check out anymore.
But I’m one of the few people left
who can read you differently;
remember the minor scandals caused when you walked past the snack stand
at Washington Park
in a wet t-shirt pressed
over a light-blue bikini.
Your mania gave birth to a body
which spoke with warped energy
and chromatic fragrance
in a voice misunderstood
by all but my most ancient self.
Yet still, your touch thuds with the essence of unrealized destiny,
a technique taking us to
the place where undertakers
choose to congregate
in a muddy huddle
deciding whether what remains of us needs to be frozen or embalmed.
Neither of us ever thought
we’d see the death of print
or the desirability in each other;
couldn’t have imagined
that the sun would stop slavering
so soon.
you’ve become an overlooked thing
that no one wants to check out anymore.
But I’m one of the few people left
who can read you differently;
remember the minor scandals caused when you walked past the snack stand
at Washington Park
in a wet t-shirt pressed
over a light-blue bikini.
Your mania gave birth to a body
which spoke with warped energy
and chromatic fragrance
in a voice misunderstood
by all but my most ancient self.
Yet still, your touch thuds with the essence of unrealized destiny,
a technique taking us to
the place where undertakers
choose to congregate
in a muddy huddle
deciding whether what remains of us needs to be frozen or embalmed.
Neither of us ever thought
we’d see the death of print
or the desirability in each other;
couldn’t have imagined
that the sun would stop slavering
so soon.
Richard King Perkins II is a state-sponsored advocate for residents in long-term care facilities. He lives in Crystal Lake, IL, USA with his wife, Vickie and daughter, Sage. He is a three-time Pushcart, Best of the Net and Best of the Web nominee whose work has appeared in more than a thousand publications.
