My Cardboard Balcony

A Butcher Kissed Me by Belinda Roddie A butcher kissed me behind his counter, his apron still sticky with salty blood spilled from a freshly sliced up loin of pork. The room was touched with meaty aromas as his whiskery lips clung onto mine. I liked the way he placed his massive hands against my fragile back, careful not to splinter me as I tried to keep back tears. I wanted him so badly. I wanted to suck the marrow stains off his fingers, savor the loud flavors of cuts and slabs of spicy beef and goose and diced chicken. When we pulled away, his eyes melted like grease off a bone - Thawing. Glistening. White.

I was going to sail through the roof, that's how hyper I was. I was waiting for a jetpack to grow out of my spine and propel me upward, my head splintering the shingles like I was Willy Wonka driving the glass elevator out of the factory. Too much sugar? No. I was just psyched. I had received the concert tickets yesterday, and I was ready to see one of the greatest bands ever. But who to go with?