by JC

At my doctors office
He tells me,
After listening to my chest, and hitting my belly,
That he can’t believe I’m still single.
He’s not hitting on me.
I’ve been with this old man for 8 years &
He’s a detached father figure if there ever was one.
“Why aren’t you partnered yet? Such a handsome, creative young man.”
But I suppose that’s my answer – still young yet, I suppose.
Remember that boy you were with? What was his name?
Oh the two of you were in love!
The way you used to laugh.
I haven’t seen you like that in a long time now.
You should get out there. Throw the lines out. Live a little.

And Mullen’s chocolate brown nurse agrees – “Live!”
She stabs me.
I watch.
The red, the flowing, flowing red.
“Live!”
I’m dying and all they can say is “Live!”

Jesse Cameron Alick is poet, playwright and Zen Master. Jesse works as the Artistic Director for Subjective Theatre Company (www.subjectivetheatre.org), is a playwright with Ensemble Studio Theater’s Youngblood program (www.youngbloodnyc.org) and is the Executive Assistant to the Artistic Director at the Public Theater (www.publictheater.org) and is Assistant to the playwright Suzan-Lori Parks. He lives in Brooklyn and is totally enamored with interesting people. jcalick@yahoo.com