slot city

he said:
all my last chapters
have already been written for me.

we were crouched behind poker machines,
the mirrored walls spinning
like disco balls.

he said:
this is the saddest pub i've ever
been to...

and i've been to adelaide.

we smoked cigarettes until
our throats bled
and talked about friends we don’t
see anymore.

(i knew all along
how this would turn out).

there was poetry on our
television set

i was trying to think
of something to say.