Out of Place
Janet Kenning

It's so hot. Flies buzz at the window and circle my food.
Sophie wipes her hands on her dress
And pours me another drink.

***

A man in a cowboy hat,
A woman who made dresses to dance in.

From hard ground and the burning sun.
Lizards, cactus flowers, stones, weeds and spines.
I drove through a storm of bees
When Palo Verdes were in bloom.
One can only travel for so long.
White petals strewn across the night sky.

We drank all night, danced, went out
Past the orchards and shot the guns.
They've put in buildings shaped like starfish.
You can't smell the sage until you get fifty miles out of town.

***

I know he couldn't help it.
What do you do with a man who can't help it?
Sophie would know.

Hey Sophie, what do you do with a man who can't help it?
Fuck him honey, fuck him.