The Wounds of a Friend

The Wounds of a Friend

Aaron Belz

The wounds of a friend are hot, fiery kisses.
The reprimands of an enemy border
on flattery, perhaps even side-hugs.

A burning kiss, delivered by a dear friend,
plants deep into the middle of the mouth,
and the fruit thereof is being less of a jerk.

So much more unintriguing are the passing
compliments of those with whom one
is connected socially—and vaguely, at that.

For baubles and trinkets passed from
bored hand to bored hand are not even
returnable to Target: they are vapor.

They honestly remind me of surface rust
on the fender of a newer Kia. Who knows
how it got there? Polish it off, roll on.

---

Aaron Belz
God-Fearing Roustabout

Aaron holds an MFA in Creative Writing from NYU and a Ph.D. in American Literature from Saint Louis U. He has published four full-length collections of poetry, most recently Soft Launch (Persea, 2019). He is online at belz.net and on Twitter at @belzpoems

Photography by Ekrulila