“2 Rap Flashes” by Justin Carter

Barre Baby

You think I’m going to talk about the night I took shots of codeine syrup in the restroom of that Greek place, & Dave found me on the floor singing Big Moe, & my heart was screwed & a little chopped, going bump 3 second pause bump 3 second pause bump. Or about that night you said let’s move to California & learn to surf & I was like nah, I’m too fucking clumsy, & I grabbed your hand, said love you, my Barre Baby, my Barre Baby over & over. Or the time we walked to Half Price, looked through used vinyl, didn’t find any shit we wanted, & ended up listening to Purple Stuff all night. No. I’m talking about that morning you said let’s move to Maine & learn to love lobster, & I laughed, took a drink of Lone Star, said but I’m the M-O-E from the S-U-C, & you really didn’t think it was funny.

When Bun B Talks About 40s

I finish chugging an Olde English & drop it on the garage floor, & this 15-year-old boy walks in barefoot, screaming just did a goddamn 27 second keg stand bitches. Ten minutes later he’s crying on the couch, holding his foot. Blood all over the carpet & fuck my mom’s gonna kill me. Whatever. In the garage everyone is dancing to Ass Ass Ass & singing Nicki’s part, taking drags of Camel Menthols. John’s like let’s play some beer pong, but they can’t find a table. Dave rips a wooden door off its hinges, & lays it across two trashcans. Problem solving, he says. The 15-year-old is back, singing Red Solo Cup as John fills Red Solo Cups with the remnants of the last 40. Again, whatever. There’s a girl alone at the kitchen table. I sit by her. Hey, I say. Wanna hear a cool-ass poem. It’s called “When Dean Young Talks About Wine.” She’s drinking 80-proof Taaka, straight from the bottle. Write a poem called “When Bun B Talks About 40s,” she says, and maybe then I’ll care. She walks away. She walks out the door & starts to grind on a boy with throat tattoos. The 15-year-old sits beside me. Shit sucks, he says. He gets on Youtube & searches for Yonkers, then starts to sing: I’m a fucking walking paradox.

[author_info]Justin Carter edits Banango Street. He reads chapbooks for NAP. He sometimes blogs at http://theghostofbigmoe.blogspot.com.[/author_info]