The Girl in the Iron Maiden T-Shirt (and other poems of unrequited love)

it was hot, hot and humid I zig-zagged to South Street, getting to the bank, doing what I had to do, talking with a teller on a little screen and then I went into the grocery store with my cash (I wasn’t thinking about her) I bought some chicken, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, a cucumber, then I did a figure-8 and nobody noticed

I got some water too and I walked home, carrying it all the sun was hot and the city was alive because it was Saturday but it was relatively quiet, I guess there were a lot of people down the shore, still I hoped, secretly, and to myself that I wouldn’t see her I knew that the odds were against me whatever that meant

really, there was no chance of her being in the city

so I zig-zagged again, making it back to my apartment switching on the AC, sweeping the floors after putting the groceries away and showering and feeling good

then I waited in the rain for my parents, my brother and his girlfriend to come by I talked to my neighbor I said Hello to my neighbors the rain came in buckets and I felt peaceful on a Saturday, sitting down with people I loved, with people ​I love

there was no past tense, like previous lovers used to recount and that didn’t matter anymore, there was no time for bullshit