Inspired by:“Everything in Its Right Place”, Radiohead, Kid A (2000)
“This Side of the Blue”, Joanna Newsom, The Milk-Eyed Mender (2004)
I stand by the window, my beer bottle sweating. The taste is sour, but I want more, so I raise the bottle to my lips and release the bitter stream. It spreads down, burning the ghost of your touch.
Closer to the window I step. Is that her? No, someone else. My fingers tighten as the silver label starts to flake. I swish the dregs in the glass’s bottom halo and take one last sip. The last drops trickle down my throat like warm tears -tears of lost love -and sting just as much.
I grit my teeth and twist my mouth. Then I pitch the bottle to the wall. While collecting the shards in the cup of my hand, I see you, your body leaning, your eyes telling me we’re nowhere near through.
I stop what I’m doing and grab two cold necks, lemon wedges in the mouths. We squeeze the fruit and suck on its flesh. And then we enjoy the moment because I know soon enough, I will once again be standing by the window, waiting for you to come back.
—
Christopher Iacono lives with his wife and son in Massachusetts. Besides writing fiction and poetry, he has also written book reviews. When he is not writing, he copyedits and proofreads.