GOTTA BE KIDDING ME

I mean
you got
no wife
no kids
no house
no future
he said

I mean
aint you
thirty
he asked

I mean
don’t you
wanna be
happy
he asked

I mean
when you
gon’ get
it together
he asked
and asked
and asked

like I was some
infected vagrant
his head cocked
to the side
to the angle of
sympathy and
dissappointment
the last bit of
sense oozing
from his ear

I imagined it
as invisible lanyard
he used to use
to keep his passion
bound to his nuts
before swallowing
his pride
chocking on rope
of responsibility
breaking his back
on social benchmarks
way back then

I mean
seriously
you thirty
he said

Yes
yes
I know
I said
then laughed

and laughed

and laughed

and laughed