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and their giggles
    mean they agree. I step
    out
    the door, into lengthening
    afternoon, carry my demons
    home, tucked deep inside.

Raeanne
    We All Have Demons
    Some inside us, some outside.
    (Madison is a fine example
    of the exterior variety.)
    It’s a lie
    to say otherwise. Kaeleigh
    can successfully stow hers
    away in some dark corner, but
    in my eyes
    it is better to confront them
    than let them roil you into
    turmoil. And so at the moment
    I’m thinking I’d
    better go
    get in Madison’s face. For a day
    or two, I wasn’t sure Mick was
    worth it. And hey, he probably
    isn’t. But she has to learn not to
    poke
    sticks at snakes, at least not
    venomous ones. Today my
    fangs are exposed. All
    I have to do is sink
    them
    into the proper artery, pump
    a little poison, watch her bleed
    out,
    one less demon to contend with.

I Guess I Might
    Just leave well enough alone,
    but I’ve been thinking about Mick.
    One way or another, I have to
    decide whether I want to keep him.
    He actually gave me an ultimatum
    when he found me doing the deed with Ty.
    Maybe that’s why I got so ballsy, had sex
    with Ty where I knew Mick could
    find us. Maybe I had to know if he
    cared or not. He did! He was jealous.
    I’d like to think the reason
    he was flirting with Madison
    that night was to make me jealous.
    But I don’t think he’s that complicated.
    “Complicated” takes more brains.
    Not that Mick is a total dolt,
    but he isn’t exactly Einstein, either.
    Anyway, most of Mick’s brains reside
    in the general area of his groin.
    One thing for sure, sex will never
    be about love with Mick. I don’t love
    him, and he definitely doesn’t love me.
    Still, he semi-fills a gaping black hole
    inside me. That place wants love,
    maybe even needs love, but love is
    something I’m pretty sure doesn’t exist.

With or Without Love
    I’m not ready to let him go, not
    without a fight. Besides the easy
    sex thing, there’s still the pot.
    I know they say marijuana isn’t
    addictive, not like speed or heroin,
    which claw into you and won’t let go.
    Pot is more of a sweet talker, and I’m
    all over that sexy voice. I went Saturday
    without it, but by yesterday afternoon,
    I was getting antsy. I called Mick,
    asked him to pick me up after church.
    Yes, I sometimes sneak off to Sunday
    services, always in need of forgiveness,
    if not always exactly sure why. Freshly
    forgiven, I was eager for corruption.
    Okay, I’ll come get you, he said.
    But not if you’re gonna fuck off
    on me. What was that about?
    Not like we’re exclusive, or have
    ever pretended to be. But the dope
    was calling. Had to play contrite.
    Even if it isn’t my best game. “Sorry.
    Guess I was jealous of Madison
    and wanted to make you jealous too.”
    Yeah, well, I could have screwed
    her Friday night too. I didn’t,
    even though she wanted to.
    Zing! Off went a flare in my head.
    My temper [ature] started to rise.
    But I kept it in check. “Obviously.”
    Anyway, Madison says you see
    other guys all the time. Friday
    kind of proved that, didn’t it?
    Okay, I was starting to lose it.
    “That’s just bullshit! If she doesn’t
    watch her effing mouth, I’ll…”
    He waited for me to finish it,
    but when all I could do was stammer,
    he asked, You’ll what?
    “Kick her ass.”

But Kicking Ass
    Could definitely be
a double-edged
sword. Not that
I’ve ever tried it.
    But I can see how getting physical could relieve some tension,
at least in the short run. Hauling off, letting my fists fly, and
feeling them connect with her surprised face just might
    make me feel a
whole lot better.
That is, until the
inevitable fallout.
Suspension for
sure. Restitution,
possibly. Maybe
lockup? I could
even find myself
in my dear old
daddy’s court.
No, the more
I think about
it, the more I
believe there
has to be a
subtle yet
satisfying
method of
revenge.

I Just Have to Find It
    And that might take a while.
    Patience? Not my best thing.
    I make it through