the end of a short affair

I tried it standing up
this time.
it doesn’t usually
work.
this time it seemed
to …

she kept saying
“o my God, you’ve got
beautiful legs!”

it was all right
until she took her feet
off the ground
and wrapped her legs
around my middle.

“o my God, you’ve got
beautiful legs!”

she weighed about 138
pounds and hung there as I
worked.

it was when I climaxed
that I felt the pain
fly straight up my
spine.

I dropped her on the
couch and walked around
the room.
the pain remained.

“look,” I told her,
“you better go. I’ve got
to develop some film
in my dark room.”

she dressed and left
and I walked into the
kitchen for a glass of
water. I got a glass full
in my left hand.
the pain ran up behind my
ears and
I dropped the glass
which broke on the floor.

I got into a tub full of
hot water and epsom salts.
I just got stretched out
when the phone rang.
as I tried to straighten
my back
the pain extended to my
neck and arms.
I flopped about
gripped the sides of the tub
got out
with shots of green and yellow
and red light
flashing in my head.

the phone kept ringing.
I picked it up.
“hello?”

“I LOVE YOU!” she said.

“thanks,” I said.

“is that all you’ve got
to say?”

“yes.”

“eat shit!” she said and
hung up.

love dries up, I thought
as I walked back to the
bathroom, even faster
than sperm.

Charles Bukowski, Love is a Dog from Hell, 1977