“sunny Afternoon” by K Weber
The deck fills itself with sun. It’s still
splinters but the dog rolls around anyway
before he reaches the grass. The heat:
it’s really got me now, where shade
is malnourished within these tense property
lines. I’m already intolerant. I don’t know
what I’m doing... Oh yeah! I eat trail mix
in bed. It’s 2pm as I wait for the doctor
to call. I’ve been weak and lightheaded
and he’s the only person who hasn’t
tried to diagnose me yet. I miss his voice-
mail between unsweetened tea, Diet Coke
and Mountain Dew. I gnaw on a Twizzler
as my dog squirms outside near the dirt,
happy with whatever might be in the raw-
hide. My best friend prescribes songs
and whole albums. I flip over the record
or do the backstroke with the arm
of the turntable. Just want to hear
“Dedicated Follower of Fashion” three
million times, to follow this song all over
England from shop to a man’s outfitted
garb. Anything to displace me
from the phone and the sick, amber hue
of my medication bottles. There’s frolic
in this music; a comedy of fancy trousers
and tailors and reflections in store
windows. It takes commitment to care
for yourself even as a character, the by-
standing singer, or the listener who has
tried to turn down the volume, yank
the cord from the electric wall for too
many years. Someday I will be better
and come dancing again.
K Weber obtained her BA in Creative Writing from Miami University & has 11 self-published, online books of poetry. She writes independently & collaboratively, having created poems from words donated by 300+ people since 2018. Much of K's work (free in PDF & audio) & her publishing credits are on her website: kweberandherwords.com. Find her on Instagram @midwesternskirt!
