Craig Blais
Safe House Sonnet
This isn’t the first time I’ve been run out
of town, but it’s the first time I’ve flipped the couch
on its side and pushed it in front of the window
with you. The first time I’ve taken the legs off
the kitchen table to block the sliding glass door.
Though we both know safety isn’t measured
in the strength of a hideout’s defenses but in
its seclusion, I jam a chair under the door knob
like they do in black-and-white gangster movies
when a dame sits overdressed on the bed like you
and a guy as high strung as me paces the wood floors
waiting for the worst to happen. The way we wait
for a hail of bullets, some indistinct knocking, or
a Molotov cocktail to fuse our fates in fire.
A Sonnet Brought to You by The Newlywed GameTM
You are all that matters, the love that will end
all loves in my life forever and always. Fuck my children.
Fuck my furry ex- and his videogame obsession.
I’m in for the night, Honey, and going to bed.
Sweet dreams. I like a guy with no friends and books he
never reads. I’m into self-loathing and paranoid
jealousy. It’s more important that we avoid
the world and spend all our time watching TV.
WELCOME BACK TO THE SHOW. WHEN IT COMES TO
YOUR MAN’S ELEVATOR SHAFT, WHAT BUILDING DOES IT
FIT BEST INSIDE? 1.) AN APARTMENT BUILDING,
I respect you. 2.) AN OFFICE COMPLEX OR I love you.
Come to bed, baby. I need you. You’re killing
me. Give me that hard 3.) EMPIRE STATE BUILDING.