hotter than sin itself

yesterday i needed to take it slow

i sipped a chai too early in the morning

and smoked a cigarette

i have a girlfriend now so i smoked a cigarette

to celebrate after our first official date and

though it was hot she sat in a metal chair

i drove to new brighton three separate times

smoked a cigarette each time yet knowing

that i deserved nothing for my kindness

the boats made clinking noises on lake harriet

after sundown, seaweed wrapped around my hips

while i smoked three cigarettes to drown out the noise

trying to work out my future from the comfort of my room

i left, my mom warning me that it's hotter than hell outside,

so i poured myself a glass of lemonade in the shade of the family boat

where i smoked a cigarette