her silky, slippery skin. high, taut cheekbones. hair & the balm of tangerines. hushed, silvery voice - when saying “ dissimulate ” - even her nighest kiss scored high on taste tests

              she is a fraud, his friends claimed

              but he quit listening to them. she made them obsolete. she was all he needed, until he became alienated - & rendered them fools

              fools, for not being impressionable

              he knew she couldn’t cook. baked tofu, grilled tofu. boiled legumes, steamed legumes - from friday to thursday - counterclockwork

              there was always chaya, on shattuck. perfect for vegans on the go

              then it was their six month anniversary; he was certain that she was it - he was twenty six - going on fifty nine. it was time

              fuck the car payment, fuck the rent. four checks should do, six for a bigger rock - the eleventh of august would be the day, a wednesday - before dinner

              although come wednesday afternoon, five twenty seven, on the digital, microwave clock - the stench of burnt tempeh, the steam of reheated broccoli, & the beaded sweat off the cooled glass of a grapefruit smoothie - were gone

              except - on the fridge, a piece of torn newspaper. from the obituaries, over the fine print -  handwritten in red ink - it read:

leaves were on trees, on trees were birds… birds
who watched us, for the weather report… reporting
your winter as mine, & my summer as yours…  but
this upcoming fall & spring - let’s just… skip them, shall we?
                                                                      -tristessa

witness b & c - who will never meet - next
to one another, as they appear inside z’s head,
while he rides the train, to & from the other woman’s home

b is an inch past five feet, with neck length hair
& a tiny nub nose

when standing beside c - b is the younger, awkward
child - but neither is immature

b wears clothes she purchased at the thrift store
with an unmatched panache; talks
with a public voice, insistent

c is all ears, mostly. although her hands
are narrow & responsive

b’s are squat

c’s eyes are sage under the sunlight; & when
she disapproves of the nihilistic, interventionist
tendencies of the current regime, she opens them
wide - very wide - wider than most would

but when each knows both parties are at fault - 
both close their eyes - & lick their lips

if b were suddenly surprised, whilst urinating  
in her grandmother’s bathroom, at her retirement home
in irvine - or dancing under the rain, topless
on the streets of barcelona - she freezes - a la feral cat -
motionless; for four seconds, then continues

if c were suddenly surprised, she would
cross her arms, cover her chest, huddle up
her propped nipples & fuzzed chest hair - then
shout - an obscenity - “ you  motherf*@#%^ ”

they --- will not be jealous of each other