Last Night Just Before Midnight I Ordered Calvin Klein Boxer Briefs on eBay

Because I now fit the demographic where the fabric
on my body is more important than where I bought

it from, and learning to be comfortable in my own
skin is an auction in itself in which I’ve finally learned

to become the highest bidder. Ever marvel at how
easy it is to buy your way into a life that’s so convenient

but forget the cost it took to achieve one-day shipping?
My pastor is also a drummer and in his sermon said

when his sticks flub a beat, he just calls it jazz, and
on these late nights when I’m so awake that I debate

purchasing new underwear or Tupperware lids, I can
sometimes still feel the pulse of improvisation for

which I’ve composed my share of records. There are
people that make a living buying and selling and there

are those who spend their lives seeking out bargains,
and that symbiotic musicality is like a concert where

both headliner and audience live off the lyrics and
limelight. And then there are those who remain stuck

in their solos, tapping their foot on the mattress under
the darkness of covers as if keeping time to each past

mistake, just looking for their chance at an encore.

Daniel Romo is the author of Bum Knees and Grieving Sunsets (FlowerSong Press 2023), Moonlighting as an Avalanche (Tebot Bach 2021), Apologies in Reverse (FutureCycle Press 2019), When Kerosene’s Involved (Mojave River Press 2014), and Romancing Gravity (Silver Birch Press 2013). His writing and photography can be found in The Los Angeles Review, PANK, Yemassee, Hotel Amerika, Barrelhouse, and elsewhere. He received an MFA from Queens University of Charlotte, and he lives, teaches, and rides his bikes in Long Beach, CA. More at danieljromo.com.