Did she smile at you the same way?
The same way she smiles at me?
The same way she smiles at a bloody steak
In a restaurant, where I somehow find myself
Alone with her, across an isolated table,
Only a porcelain rose and a candle between us.
Between my nervous short breath and stiffening grin,
And her lips as slick and dark as her ruby sunglasses.
Those round darkened lenses, like fathomless sockets,
Perched atop mountainous cheekbones,
They make her look almost like…
Her lips draw back to reveal a row of pale teeth,
Perfect and polished and clean.
But now I’m unnerved by their exposure.
I shiver with the thought, that what are teeth really
But the glimpse of a skull peeking past a flesh mask?
So when she smiles, and shows me those bones,
Shows me the tools meant for tearing flesh,
Shows me in glistening flashes what she could use
To crack through my fingers, one by one,
And suck out the marrow, if she was hungry enough…
My reaction is more complex than desire.
Because I can hear in the wet smacks of her mouth,
In the crisp hiss and crackle, a whisper:
You are in danger.
I can’t look away from that open mouth,
Only drip out small words, like blood in the water.
It only makes it worse. She just smiles more.
Her words weave like sharks through the heavy night air,
They bite my flushed ears in absolute rhythm
To the beat of the pounding blood in my head,
As if she can hear it as loud as a song.
I don’t even know if I catch what she’s saying,
What she’s offering, what she’s telling.
I’m responding by instinct.
An instinct to run, an instinct to stay,
An instinct to nod and do whatever she says.
And so I wonder if she smiled at you the same way?
You past lover she passingly mentions,
But always with the hint of a grin.
And whatever happened to you? Why it’s now me,
Sitting across a shrouded dining table
And wondering what’s on the menu tonight?
Ron Perovich is an American artist, musician, and poet, creating work inspired by his love of science and history, international music and cuisine, and a plethora of nerdy pursuits. His recent appearances include the anthologies Horror Library Volume 8, Rattus Futura, Giant Robot Poems Volume 1, and an upcoming collection with Graveside Press.
Published 10/31/24