had my organization not paid for me to be here I wouldn't have even considered

a life lived

city to

city in

highrise 

hotel rooms &

working

from

“an insanely comfortable

Heavenly Bed™”

king-sized

4 big fluffy

pillows a poofy

white comforter &

I don’t

even have to

make it

up

the soap

smelling so

nice & the

air conditioning

turned way

down &

me fresh-

showered &

swaddled

in a white

velour

bathrobe my

feet cozy

beneath the

comforter

half-

watching the

enormous flat-

screen with

stereo sound that

sounds like it’s

coming from

somewhere

else entirely

while

the coffee’s

brewing (they’re

charging me two

bucks for this

but it’s a

deal compared to

everything else

in the Refreshment

Bar below the

TV)

I’d like just

enough money

to live like

this with

friendly goons

in clean beige

suits using

walkie-talkies

& subtle crimson muscle

to keep the riff-raff

away

the lovely bird-

like blondes

fresh-squeezed into

black tube

dresses serving

me breakfast

among the

happy babble of

fountains

downstairs

Just give me

enough

to live like

this Let me

live like

this Oh

please

no one

complaining

or asking

me anything

wanting

nothing

but my

Signature

(right here,

Sir) &

I’ll

write novels &

poetry & essays &

whatnot to

break your

mother-

lovin’

heart.

___________________________________________________________________
From the forthcoming collection Nymphomagic Electroshock and Other Middle-Aged Complaints.
Copyright © 2003, 2017 by Lawrence Roy Aiken.