During the last one, as the bumper crop
Opened, I called you over at the party. You were
Shorting out to me like it’s fine, it’s just that the
Ringing never really goes away and my
Love languages are mocked with fighting
Honestly when I saw, nothing here but
Dumb dogs, sterile clinicians, eating
Slowly with you, open and tuned well on
The concrete outcropping as if you just found
Out it’s always empty like that. As if you
Will always be photographed. As if you will be
Made to stand perfectly still for
Eight hours. As if you will have darts
Smoked into your mouth and nose. As if you
Later married a new dilettante. I
Reasoned with him, drawn into his
Night class, a new manuscript to be
Left open on the monitor forever. I
Knew that writer. I emailed his
Agent. I bought pills in his building
— Bernard Cohen is a writer based in New York City. He runs the online publication Charm School with his friend Vivi Hayes.