24 Love Letters

after Jeanann Verlee

Dear Chris,
Summer camp, fires
and holding hands
in the smoke.

Dear Chad,
I can’t remember
the song that played
when we first kissed.

Dear Nathan,
Twenty-one years later
your smile still cracks
my heart.

Dear Ross,
You were rebellion
and my first blow job.
Sorry I didn’t know how to finish.

Dear C,
I gave it up to you.
I should have waited.

Dear Mike,
I thought you were joking.

Dear Dave,
You were an abusive asshole.

Dear Uriel,
I still google you.

Dear David,
We were young, it was fun,
why does your wife hate me?

Dear Brit,
I learned pleasure
from you. Thank you.

Dear Paul,
My brain still buzzes
when I think of your fist punching
the wall beside my head.

Dear Jason,
You are a liar,
you barely even liked me.

Dear Rich,
We should have lasted longer
than we did. I regret
that.

Dear Mario,
I picked the wrong one.
I should have chosen you.

Dear Brian,
I wasted seven years
on your jealousy.

Dear MM,
You were too married.

Dear Andrew,
I should have known
when your dog bit mine
that you would bite me too.

Dear Luke,
With your All-American
good looks we looked good
together but little else worked.

Dear K,
You were a rebound,
I’m sorry you thought it was more.

Dear Nate,
The dark alley and rooftop
fucks – it was fun.

Dear Nick,
You were a Republican.
It would have never worked.

Dear A,
When we danced the world fell
away. When we stopped dancing
our bodies couldn’t find the rhythm.

Dear Drew,
Suck a dick.

Dear Jay,
Thank you for teaching me
what real love looked like.

By Courtney LeBlanc

Courtney LeBlanc is the author of chapbooks Siamese Sisters and All in the Family (published by Bottlecap Press). Her poetry is published or forthcoming in Connections, Welter, The Legendary, Germ Magazine, District Lines, Slab, Wicked Banshee, The Door is a Jar, and others. She loves nail polish, wine, and tattoos. Read her blog at www.wordperv.com, follow her on twitter: www.twitter.com/wordperv, or find her on facebook: www.facebook.com/poetry.CourtneyLeBlanc.