The Pajama Party

Something silly and not particularly serious.

I painted Allen's toenails bright purple,
little yellow stars arcing against cuticles,
while Thomas read us stories in a stretching
old-man voice. It matched his skin quite
nicely, Walt said through a mouthful of
papaya - the rest of us were busy chewing
popcorn. 
 

"He's not like us," said Jack, smoking in the corner.
"Walt, he's not like us at all." 

***
 

Dylan wore the scarf I knitted,
dark blue cotton against his neck despite the sweltering
desert heat. Carl asked a question, when does the
movie start?, but the sound of his voice was lost
in catlike fog. 

***
 

Emily B. and Emily D. watched only Robert throughout the film,
as though their lives might be extended with a touch of his lips. 

***
 

edward made breakfast the next morning, waking up
before the sun and cutting fried eggs into letters, spelling
r-p-o-p-h-e-s-s-a-g-r across plates with strange finesse.
I helped Will Williams roll his sleeping bag into a ball and
made Langston a cup of coffee - black, thanks. 

***
 

Gertrude, standing in the suburban gutter,
asked for a
seltzer bottle, a
long dress, a
red hat, a
blue coat.