My Cardboard Balcony

Lonely Ginger by Belinda Roddie Lonely Ginger drank gin all by her lonesome in the Lonely Hearts Bar on the loneliest street in town. The juniper reminded her of baseball games in the middle of the street, and stolen kisses from a childhood friend under the shade of sequoias. She could only hope that said friend would arrive on time, just like they promised. But given how the elixir in her glass was disappearing, her own lonely heart had doubts.

Protein! by Belinda Roddie Dinner tonight is shrimp and almonds. Because I'm an adult.

Hell Of A Date Idea by Belinda Roddie why don't we tell each other stories as we ride elevators up to mountaintops, drink tea out of spigots, and sleep in beds so warm that we still radiate sunlight even in the middle of the night?

Lonely Gin by Belinda Roddie The bar was out of tonic water. I felt incomplete.

You Caught Me by Belinda Roddie I never felt the way I do now until you kissed me while I was still crying. It was like each tear was simply seasoning added to the exchange, the salt we needed to add sharpness. Just the right amount of it. I know the mousetrap closed on me long ago, but the bait was too enticing, and the pain they said would linger is nonexistent. Like faith sucked into a vacuum. Like oxygen abandoned in a bottle in the middle of the universe. Adrenaline is best mixed with rum. Endorphins, I prefer added to champagne. And seratonin - my God, I need the pills to regulate it, but you incentivize it, and like the stock market, it skyrockets before it dips, and I crave sugar. Sugar from your lips, your contact, sweet sensation left in particles on my tongue. Fuck the fear of diabetes: I'm only interested in feeling this way forever, our bodies curved around each other like metal springs.

My Favorite Color Princess Can my flower crown have violets? I really love purple.

Dizzy by Belinda Roddie The world keeps spinning, and I want it to stop.