8
Acme Surrogate Fathers
1.
I need a way out, but the goddamn doorknob
has a stronger will than my fingers. Listen:
I'm not the one who killed the sky, but I will damned
well smoke its corpse. I just need a pin
so I can poke some holes in this Coke can.
Splinter under my tongue, woodlice
muddying up my virginal corpse,
I'm not the one who told your true
father what you said about his mustache
collection, but now that I've got your attention:
don't forget to take your vitamins. The water
table needs the nutrients.
I’m higher than a weather balloon,
although I'm sprawled in the gutter.
I’ve lost control over my limbs,
and don't get me started on my hair,
but I call this escape. It's not the kind of door
you can close behind you. It's the kind
you paint on a wall to fool the tourists.
2.
I never knew my surreal father, but
the smell of his shadow settled over
my bed each night when I tried
to fly, always watching to make sure
my ankle was securely tethered.
It wasn't his fault. He also wanted
to break free, but all his hands could do
was braid. And once you've got a rope,
what else can you do but tie things down,
or hang things up, or ask questions
you don't want answered.
Illustration by Chelsi Rossi
Instagram: @_chiles