Cufflinks

CUFFLINKS

1.
I'm not going to say something silly about
the color red and its connotations towards
lack of intelligence, or the way light sinks
into water and what that says about the
sexuality of fish. Time was, when a man knew
which cufflinks to wear to bed. The day ended
and you knew where you stood according to
the length of your shadow. Now, it's just
a race to see who can keep his sleeves pinched
the longest. The ineffectual droop their way
into summer, praying the urine stream of time
will wash this shame from them like
clean water. Time was we didn't drink piss
in the wind, time was we pissed in the wind.

2.
I'm not going to say something silly
about the color red and its
connotations towards lack of intelligence,
or the way light sinks into water
and what that says about
the sexuality of fish.
Time was, when a man knew
which cufflinks to wear to bed.
The day ended and you knew where you stood
according to the length of your shadow.
Now, it's just a race to see who can
keep his sleeves pinched the longest.
The ineffectual droop their way into
summer, praying the urine stream of time
will wash this shame from them like
clean water.
Time was we didn't drink piss in the wind,
time was we pissed
in the wind.

C.L. Bledsoe

Posted over on Word Riot
1. Cortney's prose poem.
2. Line breaks by Glenn Buttkus