a poem by alexis pope

from That Which Comes After



I bought the ice cream for my coffee

There were two antelope in my dream

Building the perfect taco with jicima slaw

Pear and spicy pork where I wake up

Somewhat sweaty one you with a salad bowl

One with a perfect winter tank

In bed with the men that orbit

I’m addressing the envelope to a place

I called home where one man grows up

A silver tea kettle only stains

And the top won’t squeal it’s been thrown

Too many times I’ve been here

Some man forces a kiss

I’ve been here too

The exit sign’s not working

So a man comes to fix it

The history of red lights

It makes me nervous but I look

Where steam knocks the pipes

I whistle the theme song

Another girl dies

And another another one

Rubs my leg without asking

My nerves push him closer

All these allies can’t listen

All these men think they see

What I want is a new apartment

Some dinners alone in my bedroom

Just quiet really nothing but

The sound of you leaving

Alexis Pope is the author of Soft Threat (Coconut Books, 2014), as well as three chapbooks. Recent work has appeared or is forthcoming in Bat City Review, Denver Quarterly, Powder Keg, Poor Claudia, and The Volta, among others. She lives in Brooklyn and is a member of the Belladonna* Collaborative.