“hey weirdo”
the neighbor kid yells
from across the fence as
I prepare the grill
I have a brown stick hanging
from my lips and I give him
the ‘horns’ salute
pointer and pinky finger
it’s like an acceptable middle finger
the dog is barking at him
and honestly I don’t blame the animal
the kid goes inside and
the dog loses interest
he comes and lays by the patio
I say, “hey, watch this”
I squirt the half flaming coals
with additional lighter fluid
and the flames rise high with a burst
the dog gets spooked
and runs away from it
“I’m magic” I say to the dog
he’s not impressed
my stepson’s friend just
arrived to stay the night
no peace will be had
the whiskey will help with that
I have the makeshift blooming
onion on and soon will add
the filets of hand cut beef tenderloin
I’m sipping Rare Breed and puffing a Padron
it’s a fucking fancy Friday
the kids would probably
make that a hashtag
#fancyfriday
I think that’s how it goes
Gloomy Forebodings 