in defense of staying single by Liam Strong

do not call it loneliness
Han Solo never spouted soliloquies
i’ve got my chapstick & headband 4 me
a period suggests it got a partner followin after its tail
although the independent clause can stand on its own
(so yeah we been dating for a month
but yeah i’m single what hiking trail
do u wanna go to)
been thinkin bout breakin codes & which way is north ^^^^
been thinkin bout str8 lines _________ how we draw logical
conclusions
been thinkin bout what i want for the anniversary of my birth this year
(conclusion: treat yo SELF)
once i ordered a dark n stormy neat at Ram’s bar &
received an eyebrow like i was a gentile or philistine or heathen or whatevs
my storms have been mild & selfish these days
like it’s an era i’m constructing the history for
like w/o a tether i’m just a cue ball wildin to get scratched
like my apartment door can fit 2 ppl in side by side
like my tits were meant 4 hands
other than my own
LiamStrong (they/them) is a queer poet, essayist, and music critic. They serve as Chapbook Coordinator for Michigan Writers Cooperative Press. You can find their poetry and essays in Impossible Archetype, Lunch Ticket, Rathalla Review, Ghost Proposal, and Glass Mountain, among several others. They live in Traverse City, Michigan and tweets @LiamStrong20.