New York Before Love

by Caitlin Thomson

The night before a 6 AM root canal I spoke
about Superman in a club on the lower-east side
with a man who claimed Batman was too flawed
to feature in his arm tattoo. I have more flaws
than Batman I confess, before he asks me out. I can’t hear you, the music’s too loud I say, instead of answering.
One of my flaws is to lie and call it kindness.
Batman lied and called it a secret identity.

Caitlin Thomson failed the second grade, two children rely on her anyways. Her work has appeared in numerous anthologies and literary journals including: The Adroit Journal, The Penn Review, Barrow Street, Wraparound South, and Radar Poetry. You can learn more about her writing at www.caitlinthomson.com.