Maggie Sullivan

Thirsty Gulp

being 39 isn’t a good enough reason to feel bad
take Donn for instance
he’s 42 and still works at Borders
and gives a babe like me a boner
he knows you’re supposed to put butter on the popcorn
he knows you’re supposed to put salt on
he knows you’re supposed to read slow
he knows you’re not supposed to know
right now he’s memorizing moves behind the register
from a book about wrestling in the 1800s
I’m dusting the mystery shelves behind him
wishing he’d use one on me

he speaks Old Minnesotan
criminy, he goes way back!
funnier than W.C. Fields and scarier
he knows how to say “That was delicious. Thank you.”
and he can be wrong
he ate a whole anchovy all at once
from my plate in the breakroom yesterday,
and then realized—

he is old-time punk rock music
he knows for a fact it’s possible to break your back in two
and still walk
he’s an expert on lite fare
although it doesn’t help so much
Donn born with two Ns
even in big beige plastic gramma glasses
and corrective shoes
he’s so in style
it breaks me