“I'm Arnold Friend and that's my real name and I'm gonna be your friend, honey” // “Don'tcha wanta go for a ride?" —From Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”
C’mon, we all know when A. Friend comes rollin’ up in Dad’s conversion van all con-
versation, a satyr Mister- Aqua-Velve-Teen-Aged-Dream-BoaCon-
sider the tension in his sweetness nesting on the porchLi- ke a cloying boyFriend-
ly enough material ‘cept those matted smileLies ‘round the eyeBald face madeup all Peter PanCaked
a little too ten- u- ous if you ask me
his cadence more candied than canDid
you not hear the screen door clapPin ’ch me I’m dyin’ here
Danielle McMahon is an occasional poet. Her work has recently appeared in Literary Mama, The Afterpast Review, Dappled Things, and F-Word Magazine. She is the editor of the newly minted online literary journal the engine(idling.Her Instagram is @dehm000.
