amen

rocco, come over
and teach me to play
slide guitar.

she was afraid of the strings
but she was metal on metal
and bone on bone.

i don't know how much it cost me
he said
before asking for
her entire hand,

which she politely refused
him
and instead
placed upon his head
a cap of thorny-thorns
(he keeps it now
in his bureau desk
beneath old, old, old
news paper love letters)
and he goes home all alone.

rocco,
come over
and teach me
how to play.

his fingers bleed
playing his
rusted
barbed
wire
slide
guitar.