“Serving Time” and “Cat Power”

By Megan Roth

Serving Time

the man walks into the restaurant and I think
please please no do not sit at my table, fifteen

is open please do not sit at table fifteen
just as I cry this out in my head he slides a

chair back and lowers his big fat ass into
the chair my chair my table table fifteen.

I say oh god outloud and look to see who heard me
walk over to him say hi can I get you something to drink

before I even get the last two words out he says with
loud wretched southern bigot chords

SWEET TEA and WE'LL TAKE a SLAB.

I glare at him because it is so rude for him to think he
owns this place and deserves to order me around like a servant and I have

a goddamn degree and he is snarling at me and looking at my ass when I
walk away and I dislike him like I dislike this state and everyone in it

but I am going off to get that tea and I am scooping the ice up out of the bin and
I glance over at table fifteen at that man and our eyes meet and we agree to dislike one

another and move on and he knows one day I'll move out of this state
and we will both fine knowing we have escaped the other.

Cat Power

I dig my pukey green suitcase from
The closet.  Jada sits on the carpet with her
Stuffed Chik Fil'A cow.  She says to me
"Where the fuck do you think you are going?"

I pull stringy underwear from the top drawer
And drop it in the suitcase.  Jada climbs into the
Luggage.  She kneeds my lacy
Ball of lingerie with her front paws.

I drop a pair of black boy-shorts on her head.
She looked up at me, veiled, and says
"I cannot fucking believe you did that,"
I laugh at her and go to the closet.

I hear all these thumps as she stomps
Down the stairs.  I know she is pissed as hell
But I keep packing.  I go to the bathroom
To pack up my toiletries and take a leak.

I lug the suitcase down to the door.  Jada sits
On the rug before a pile of vomit and rubber bands.
"Clean up my goddamn throw up," she says,
And I do.

I was born in 1984 in the small town of Decatur, Alabama, home of the Hot Air Balloon Festival. I now live in Birmingham Alabama with my cat and my significant other. I play Ultimate Frisbee and paint scathing watercolors in my downtime. I have a degree in political science. When I was five years old, I sneezed quite hard and dislocated my vertebrae. Things have never been the same since.