All of the women on The Apprentice flirted with me—consciously or unconsciously. That’s to be expected.
-President Donald Trump
We assumed
the world existed
to give us everything
we wanted
handsome amiable
half-men
my friend and I
sixteen
at the beach
with a couple of budding
beauties we
made our way
down the shoreline
to a desolate
stretch of sand
one girl slipped into the surf left
the other to fend
for herself and boys
being boys being wolves
we tried to coax
the straggler into taking off
her bikini top
she smiled resisted shyly
unconvincingly
we were encouraged
riffed off each other
like masterful musicians
a sweet talking symphony
until finally she reached
behind her back
and with one tug
her flawless sunlit body
two smug smiles
a few seconds of ogling
before she re-situated herself
turned towards the water
and it wasn’t until after
my friend and I recounted our victory
that I noticed she was crying
her hands shaking as she tried
to light a cigarette
and I was too surprised
and too ashamed
to apologize wondered
what wounds I’d ripped open
felt paths open up
before me the many selves
I’d have to drown
and I walked
into Lake Erie
its brown waves up to my neck
a child baptized
into the religion of men
and the damage we do.
***
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Photo by Christopher A. Dominic/Flickr