Homemade simple syrup, always.
The thick camaraderie of sloppy sharing.
Gentleman Jack, always. Fresh spearmint muddled
in the ice from the patch where I planted grandma’s cuttings.
Sugar high booze buzz! Bellinis by the pitcher,
a behemoth ice cube going gong
against the glass
the warm glisten of Bushmills
cooking down my central channel
toasting tongue to toes.
I release macho and spunk from guard duty
for the excited tug.
You’re in my space
close up, and not kissing yet
open crooked mouths breathing together.
But that was later, when we were alone.
Your sighs tawny port to
my dirty, dirty martini.
At the moment it’s blistering summer.
We’re cocked on hummingbird red, antiseptic
Campari + Soda when a hedge
of feral howling hounds or curs or coyote
nearby setting off their canine fireworks—
from long sustained chrysanthemums, to staccato pearls and shiny willows—
silenced our shit-faced mouths.
Later, our crooked mouths almost at impact
sucking in our mutually plastered abandon
together in the tipsy dark
we enter into a vital boneless leisure
buoyed in a requited efflux
all of passion paused
fascinating gladness connects us
before our kisses do.
***
Favorite Drink: The Vanilla Cigar (because the smell reminds me of unlit tobacco)
a carbonation device (I use a sodastream)
2 plain rooibos tea bags
1 quart of boiled water
a teapot or quart glass jar with a lid
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
After boiling the water, pour it over the tea bags and seal the teapot of jar. Allow it to steep on your counter until it is cool enough to transfer to the fridge. Let it brew overnight. Remove the tea bags and pour the chilled tea in your carbonation contraption. After you’ve fizzed it, leave it on the machine for a few minutes. If you don’t allow it to settle you risk accidentally giving yourself a tea neti cleanse when it explodes in you face. Pour in up to 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. This keeps in the fridge until it goes flat.
***
erin feldman, a native Louisianian exiled in western Massachusetts, is a writer and poet who spent two decades as a classroom educator for both adults and teenagers, backcountry guide, and yoga and mindfulness instructor. erin is a nature worshiper, a student of the changing sky, and still sends letters in the mail. Her work has been published in Cactus Heart Literary Magazine, Dirty Chai, and Journal for Peace & Justice Studies. She is the co-principal of Center Content, a creative content agency based in Western Mass and South Florida serving businesses, nonprofits, and individuals.
***
image: Andrea Damic lives in Sydney, Australia. She has been published in 50-Word Stories and Friday Flash Fiction. You can find her on Twitter @DamicAndrea. One day she hopes to finish and publish her novel. In spare time she takes photos and creates Art.
Rejection Letters 