from Sam Cook-Parrott

cherry bites turn
to mosquito blossoms -
out of reach as the seasons
change - to Venmo means
to pay - or
to receive payment - ?
Are you interested
in a career
in the arts - ?

tilted - towering - ticklish - you
gain some regulation from trying
to unpeel yourself - that’s never a good sign - !
stalked like prey for the billing period
of your car’s extended warranty -
the studious paths
rock through the forkslide +
your blood becomes centrifugal
as you closely examine your debts

risky venture - rare bird - !
you’ll never make it
in Hollywood - baby - !
berry smoothie nightcap -
there is nowhere now +
I love it - ignorant phone case -
flamboyant meal trader -
you are betting again
on your ability to be liked -

ferreting out another rainy afternoon
to stay silent for a few hours +
determine the containers
of time + how
you will fill them
attentively - you built your scaffold -
the devised ending is swallowed
by darkness as you plummet
ass-first into desire

the average woodwind
has dials knobs levers +
buttons + another instrument
is a literal triangle - one
does its job every time +
the other has limitless
potential as an energy alternative
if only clarinet players could
ever figure out the science