Me and Eileen in a 1980s Heaven

They were playing
That song she likes
Balloons ascending
To a 1980s heaven

I remember I held her
Like a drowning man
Axinite eyes shut to the
Infrared heat of unused bodies
Opened wide for the one
Who mattered most

Air heavy with purple fog
And the threat of goodbye
Nevermind
When she tastes like static
Lips fuzzy like orgasmic bees
Making out with TV noise
Arm hair on standby

She was my Eileen in that dress
My face hiding that goodbye in her
Throbbing neck all the while
Friends dry hump the coat rack
Sneaking swigs of communion
In the church basement
Like a depraved Dionysus
Disguised in priest’s robes
The only time I felt I could
Go to a 1980s heaven too
Jenna Velez

By Jenna Velez

Biography:

Jenna Velez is a queer poet from suburban Philadelphia. Her work has been previously published in yell/shout/scream journal. When she isn’t writing she’s usually baking, painting, or practicing witchcraft. She tweets @northernbruja and can also be found at jennavelez.weebly.com.