M. Antonio

You mean to tell me, you were my next door neighbor
the whole time, and you never told me who you were,
the whole time, and you protected me when I came in late
because you were wiser than me and knew that my boyfriend was a piece of shit?
And when I came in from the bars at 4 a.m. reeking, teetering
slamming taxi cab doors with no respect for time or sound,
You were looking out your blinds at me.


And when he'd drive off, you'd come over
offer me hash and Lortabs in exchange for company, and that worked out well for me.
I had nothing else to give.

But now, as I stumble upon a picture of Junot Diaz, I realize
that he looks just like you
and I like to pretend that it is you, and that you made up your name
your lifestyle
and you were hiding, hiding from me, hiding from everyone
never telling me who you really were
biding time and writing novels, bringing me drugs.
Opening up your blinds with two thin fingers, watching to make sure my key worked.