Orders From The House, tanka prose by Tim Gardiner and Joanna Hodgson at Spillwords.com
Ava Sol

Orders From The House

Orders From The House

written by: Tim Gardiner and Joanna Hodgson

@timgardiner3

 

I. Illusion of beauty

here you come again I knew you’d be back pretty in your sequin dress plastic eyes follow hips around the ballroom their tongues spit disapproval with every click they know what you did in the California suite after pouring the bourbon – i listen fixing my eyes on you unable to turn away for fear you’ll stop talking or notice me daddy has been straying another high school girl convinced by his empty charm and insecurity they’d do anything and never say a word to shatter the illusion besides it’s their fault they deserve it the plastic faces agree except me but I remain detached for I’ll soon be gone once the waltz starts and you stop

every
fucking year
winter sun
and the urge
to withdraw

II. Live it away from me

here you come again I knew you’d be back pretty in your silver sequin dress the samurai chatter of plastic faces drowned out by the band – after bourbon you begin to open up I fix my eyes on an awkward pause a handful of peanuts daddy’s betrayal and rebuke softly enrages checking out of room sixty-nine leaving quick fixes and fast comedowns to the latest school girl conquest no one remembers her name there’ll be another blank face on the corpse tomorrow

the gold room
reaching out
for the first time
bourbon
on the rocks

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