Submissions by megovoni (Meghan)

I waltzed in at 8AM -  
giddy from your goodbye kiss  
and an oversized shot of cocaine.  
My mom was at the kitchen counter  
with a cup of coffee  
and the Sunday crossword.  
   
She glanced up at my arrival -  
but didn't bother to ask    
where I'd been;  
why my eyes were so red;  
why my outfit didn't make  
any sense for 8AM.  
   
She simply gestured to  
the seat beside her,
shifted the newspaper page  
so we both could see.
She shied her eyes away from  
the hole at the...

We walked a delicate line; you and I:
Skirting cops and curfews,
Stealing money and merchandise -
In a 1996 Chevrolet with suspended licenses,
And a center-console full of prescription pills.
We weren't allowed home in altered states,
So we cut ourselves off from the world,
And holed up in hotel rooms
Too dingy for recollections.
You held my hair back,
As I puked up the remains of a Percocet,
Then kissed me on the lips despite the taste.
And I thought that meant you loved me.

Today I drove through the parking lot
where we used to wait for drugs.
I was running an errand for my father,
and thought I would be okay.
I wasn't.
Driving through brought back memories of you;
brought back memories of when we used to sit
with only my crackling radio to keep us company
and wait for Mike (I still don't know his last name)
to deliver our prepaid goods.

I parked where we used to park,
and left my radio on low volume
to emulate the way you used to make us
inconspicuous to strangers.
I...