A Guilty Pleasure

Girls who pull off camo

Bummin’ cigs off Cheeto

Barnes & Noble

Seth Cohen

 

Eating pasta with my fingers

Not wearing shoes in the summer

Winning a car merge

Running away:

 

The soles of my feet are callused

So my heart doesn’t have to be.

 

As a rule: Before I drown in empathy,

I dunk my head in the ocean so my soul can breathe,

So the undertow can abduct my ego,

So I can know the difference between

what can and cannot be changed.

 

It’s serenity I’m after.

After crying for days, I’m switching lanes

On my way to a place where the vicious flow

Of fresh water alleviates the guilt

From clandestine attempts to discover pleasure.

 

I’m going north –

And maybe I’ll have to buy shoes up north,

But I know a girl who likes the smell of books

And wears cargo shorts guilt-free

Because she knows the pursuit of pleasure

Has nothing to do with the chronic pressure

To be successful like the family from that

Father’s Day Sears commercial.

 

I’ll miss the salt water on my lips,

But I’m starry-eyed and young.

I’m throwing caution to the wind

And falling in love.

 

Ski bums

Beastie Boys first album

Artisanal lotions

Organic beer

 

Rereading old journals

Pretending to be an intellectual

Chopping vegetables

Running away: