Drinks, Then Dinner, by Angela M. Brommel

Nude Descending a Staircase, by Marchel Duchamp (USA, b. France) 1912.

Drinks, Then Dinner

Red wine, with a touch
of smoke and berry. The first-date drink
of choice so confidence won’t buckle.
But too much wine, you begin to scry. 

Cut-out buildings and jacarandas
frame the night. From the rooftop parking space
in the valley, fumbling with her seat belt,
he leans across her lap, it clicks,
sending an electric shock
that makes her knees buckle.

Just moments after
his feet touch the cold floor.
He rises   Left foot   Right foot
Stepping into one pant leg
then the other.

He lights a cigarette, casually
ascending into the man
who bought drinks then dinner,
and then descending
until the unevenness of breath
and desire tastes of red ochre.

Angela M. Brommel

Angela M. Brommel, is a Nevada writer with Iowa roots. She is the author of the Plutonium &  Platinum Blonde (Serving House Books, 2018), and her poetry has been featured in The Best American Poetry Blog, the North American Review, The Literary Review-TLR Share, and Sweet: A Literary Confection, among many other journals, anthologies, and art exhibitions. Her full-length poetry collection, Mojave in July, is forthcoming from Tolsun Books. She is the Executive Director of the Office of Arts & Culture, as well as part-time faculty in Humanities, at Nevada State College. You can also find her at The Citron Review as Editor-in-Chief.