My Cardboard Balcony

The Dud by Belinda Roddie look at the wiseguy self-aggrandizing emcee billowing smoke, but there's no flame heat, but there ain't a star illuminating he signals a chorus of approval that's as stale as breath in a tin can I hold my ear to it, and I sure as hell don't hear the ocean just steel static, cold as jarred laughter

Scalded by Belinda Roddie My TA accidentally gave me hot water. My tongue hurts.

Road To Hell by Belinda Roddie I couldn't repent; I was the bad guy to him.

Butts by Belinda Roddie Sometimes you have to do things your mother won't like; and sometimes, that means writing poems about butts. Butts are pretty glorious, though only one derriere in particular has caught my gay fancy. It's as if a sunrise is caught on the highest curve of it, the skin elevated into a heavenly position. And I'll touch it, though not without caution, as it's sensitive when stained in gold, but I can only be so gentle.

Blissful Ignorance by Belinda Roddie He thought he was a winner while amongst fellow fools.

Baptism On Groundhog Day by Belinda Roddie If the baby's fully submerged, we get an early spring.

Love Hurts by Belinda Roddie It was the first time I had ever had a legit boyfriend. It was also the first time I had ever had a bromance. We met in my sophomore year of high school, which was a year of ponytails, bad poetry, and pubescent awkwardness. He was my creative writing teacher's TA: Doe-eyed, brown-haired, and usually stoned out of his gourd. His name was Chris, based off his middle name Christian, and he was the son of my former eighth grade physical science teacher - extra awkwardness. He told me he first started to like me after hearing my stories, which, looking back on it, makes me cringe so hard that I almost pull a muscle behind my left eye. He finally started chatting with me at a chili festival my high school hosted in order to support the victims of the tsunami in Sri Lanka, so our first real conversation happened over lukewarm beans, dry beef, and half-congealed cheddar cheese. Clearly, the stars were properly aligned on this day. After constantly sitt...