"May 10th" by Jamie Hood

May 10th Perseverance is terminal, Every day dully getting up. The end times keep edging us But I’m a Taurus— I prefer to come And to go another round. They shot Katy Perry Into orbit, then let her back in. We turned the mission into memes To stop thinking of burned old growth forests, Boiling oceans, where all the bees have gone. In the shuttle there was something To do with a world tour. Will the wet bulb be worth it? A senator says we all have to die sometime, Which is news to me! I am always telling people How Katy Perry killed a nun. Now she’s coming for the rest of us. I too could call myself an astronaut; We tell ourselves stories in order to et cetera. I wanted heaven But space spat me out. I heard earth girls are easy. I’m so easy I only learned how to fight Back last week. I didn’t win. But I cured my depression By making the bed! The cure lasts ‘til just past The point I’ve smoothed the duvet. I draw the curtains. I play a record. I shake my locally-sourced oat milk To eke out one more use. Does it bother me, us fucking other people? Jury’s out. But if I picture you Brushing another woman’s hair From her mouth an atom bomb detonates. I see all my bones. They are female And furious. They rattle and shriek like death Metal. Don’t fucking brush another woman’s hair From her mouth. A hole’s a hole, darling, But tenderness is non-renewable. Bottle your affection for only me. I’m sorry. I have to get up again. I hate when there’s only one outcome. ————————————– Jamie Hood called us from Brooklyn, NY. voicemailpoems.org/submit/ facebook.com/voicemailpoems x.com/voicemailpoems bsky.app/profile/voicemailpoems.bsky.social instagram.com/voicemailpoems