Teen romance is always tricky, even more so when it’s between two young men in a conservative Christian environment. D. Gilson pulls no punches in this bold poem.
Iris
Sixteen, we Kissed Dating Goodbye
on the way to Six Flags St. Louis.
Broke up with our girlfriends in the back
of the bus. Rode Batman: The Rollercoaster
and drank Coke slushies in twosomes instead
of foursomes. Through Joshua, the Lord says,
The right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing.
On the way home under Nixa High School hoodies,
yours basketball, mine marching band, we kissed.
Shared headphones: Jars of Clay and Goo Goo Dolls.
And I don’t want the world to see me
listening to secular music, you said.
When the youth pastor found us he confiscated
your iPod. Sixteen, we kissed dating girls goodbye
for some reason. For you, basketball season.
For me, we kept kissing until one morning after
I slept over. You rolled on top of me. Pummeled
my chest with closed fists and spit on my face.
When you kissed me then, it tasted of blood.
A thing always dying. Over Frosted Flakes
you apologized. It was great.
***
Editor’s Note: D. Gilson has collaborated with Will Stockton, another GMP poet on an upcoming book, Crush (Punctum Books), due out this April. To see Will Stockton’s work on GMP, click here.
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