Red lips and mascara invite me in
With a sultry smile and a deep kiss
Wildflower scent pulls me down the hall
Past the living room, where snores
Wear a yellow-stained wife-beater
And a TV’s black and white hiss
Casts its light upon the room

Clean and delicate hands coax the bedroom door shut
To keep secret the bed’s squeaks and moans
But the sounds escape, flying up the hall to enraged ears

Clenched fists pound the door
While a drunken breath roars death
Panic threatens to toss me naked
Out of the third storey window
Sensibility puts pants and shoes on
The battered door gives up and leaps open
Shock glues me to the floor

Legs like pile drivers lumber toward me
Scarred knuckles swing round as I pull a stupid face
A beating ensues while I watch stars explode

Snarling teeth shift a chewed cigar
I fear my skin will find out it is lit
A smoky growl leaves but one option
“Get the fuck outta here.”
I give my batterer’s daughter a wink and a wave
Ham hock forearms haul me to the front door
And show me the pavement magnum cum momentum

My legs find their feet and stand up
Bloody palms and smarting head decide
Next time she’s coming to my house