Chang 28

BLUE JUPITERS

By MICHAEL CHANG

GOVERNMENT RAISINS

By MICHAEL CHANG

me reading poetry:
i bet this hits so hard if ur stupid
queering the poetic form:
i’ve got 8 words for u: i’ve got 2 words for u: fuck off
“strictly sexual no-emotions” is a demented phrase
a recurring gag
confusing washer/dryer muzak for ice cream truck
he looks over quizzically: what r u getting at
i lie: ummm, the quarterly figures ??? apple pie ???
semen crust agglutinating eyelids
he hasn’t washed his face in a year
looks like trout, a huge tuna
flock of seagulls hair
won’t stop saying wow
bigly & blondly
we just can’t help ourselves
i put him away like laundry
clinamen has nothing to do w/ azns
tho this one was biracial
white/azn, as if plucked from my dreams
we’d had too many frozen margs
as gentlemen are wont to do
after sharing a stupid story abt
schlepping ice up a few flights
to nurse his twisted friend’s ankle
he motioned to his motorcycle:
maybe i can give u a ride home
his tone suggesting something more
i admired his tight suggestive jeans
noted his slim waist, very firm
pomade in his tousled hair
imagined my fingers running thru it
another michigan engineer, total apollo
probably insatiable in bed
panicked i declined & instead invited him
to grocery shop w/ me
i left him wandering the aisles
we didn’t see each other again for a decade
when we witnessed the third man
& hugged kinda faggy
a nice feeling
remembering another time
i took good red wine to a fundraiser
the host’s drink selection so mediocre
i opened the bottles, got high off my own supply
i don’t even like red wine

GOLDEN GOOSE

By MICHAEL CHANG

shit u not
i’ve forgotten the speaker’s original pt—
am left w/ this image
of two ppl dying in a car crash together—
at exactly the same time—
their love for each other
ceasing at the same moment
i wish the original pt were something profound
abt temporality or the fragility of true love
but that doesn’t seem right
it’s nothing—it breaks ur heart
oh it doesn’t mean a damn thing
yet within every frame is something to admire
most adaptations prove to be unsatisfying
b/c an adequate foundation hasn’t been laid
indeed—when faced w/ great beauty—who has the time?
we must slow down—stop—to admire it—
what follows is only feeling

IMPERFECT LIVES

By MICHAEL CHANG

“ where’d u two meet ” “ bohemian grove ” “ what were u doing there ”
            sadly wouldn’t advise going clubbing w/ seals
they get so inconsolable, MJ gone, JoePa still here
            sandy claims new york is home to mostly telephonic relationships
it’s true, i’m cold on the phone, the original wet blanket
            staying in touch is taxing, dara’s magazine distracting
just ask that nonce sydney, call her mother
            watch ur teeth, she snaps, comparing his penis size to length of brisket
he’s daring, scheming, exposing long hose in last row
            smugly, he declares, i have been emptied
the gefilte fish w/ beautiful singing voice tinkers w/ quatrains
            his libido grows, pigeon chest puffed out
he learns to wear his backpack on one strap
            his father dies a novice congressman
stupids make the world go round, he mutters on deathbed
            i don’t listen b/c his dress is ugly
the lore runs deep, tourists sloppy, koalas catch chlamydia
            my son slams the brakes
splashing smoothie onto critter shorts & funeral announcement
            womyn colliding w/ pole carted away while admiring my legs or possibly scent
alliterate duchess shunned by peers, replacement theory in papua new guinea
            adam fitzgerald on what it means to write poetry in 2016, yes, sounds abt right
the only gay student at chapel emerging w/ armful of girl
            polish sausage, clothes hawked on insta
jenna becomes lesbian to paint nails pink
            white whale goes nowhere except screenings of indies
sweaty hog edmund admits to being broke
            i have to keep writing so i can afford to eat, he sniffs between bites
but i never write anything in case it’s used against me, schiaparelli lobster clanging
            dancers defect, obscuring defecation, mystery procedure doing wonders for rigor
flaunt ur iniquity, mister nijinsky, muscles bulging insufferably
            noncommittal to carnival-barker mind, content w/ glimpsing flank thru door crack
i must give up my addictions, the puppy farming
            i’ve fallen in love w/ paper doilies, fancy face creams
the enduring romance of this cloud-filled apt

MICHAEL CHANG (they/them) is the author of TOY SOLDIERS (Action, Spectacle, 2024) & THINGS A BRIGHT BOY CAN DO (Coach House Books, 2025). They edit poetry at Fence.