Cary Lynne’s most recent poem to appear here was “Tuesday Afternoon” (June 2017)

Elliot
By Cary Lynne

So it began when you said something you always said that was so lame
and it just got me wrong and I grabbed the spatula and flung the egg
from the pan over at you and of course you ducked and it hit the wall
yellow dripping down over the pastel pink wall that belonged more
in a kids room, but you liked the color, so that’s what was in the kitchen
you’re the guy, how could you want pink on the walls for heavens sake
you screamed the egg was better on the wall than eating what I cooked
one thing led to the other and you were gone and I was mad and defiant
so yes after a month apart I did the guy at work and got drunk a lot
then there was the party and across the room I saw you and you saw me
it was like there was no one else there they faded to dust and I wanted you so bad
and then that guy walked over out of the blue and kissed me and I pulled away
but you were gone how do things get so crazy, I walked away looking for you
but you had left, so I headed for the open bar and drank wine down in gulpfuls
Mindy was there and she saw the whole thing, put me in a cab
(I was crying and drinking and laughing stupidly)
we went to my house to have food and I missed you so much
I thought of the stupid egg and the dripping and the pink wall
and wanted to paint my walls pink forever so I could cry all over them
cause that’s all I would have left of you, the love of my life, but
good thing for tattletale friends, Mindy ratted on my pitiful state to you,
said you laughed your whole damn ass off
but you loved it and best of all, you still loved me