Spotlight on Samuel Sohn
Nocturnal Aftermath
Plastic figurines lining the shelf above the headboard
Sodden sheets, rectangle of light formed from the rays
coming through the blinds
Red-eyed marionette on the desktop
Clutter and bareness predominate
The sound of the shower runs
Room feels like a prison cell
Suffocating, the walls are closing on in
I fix my eyes on poster of Jimmy Dean smoking a cig,
Looking disaffected
Relief at seeing an ashtray with a butt in it,
Sitting at the desk chair, lighting up
I become conscious of my cellulite
Resolve to do 100 push-ups and sit-ups a day
A bra left on the back of the chair
There's too much familiarity to this scene
Contemplating how to make a dignified exit
Shower stops, jars me out of my torpor
She has a white towel wrapped around her
She has a slightly plump figure but the morning light
Is unexpectedly flattering to her face
All is fortuitous as our coupling had more to do
With proximity of stools more than anything
Her expression is one of resignation
I find that appealing; Nina from Hungary, taciturn
And resigned
Her amber eyes, fixed on me, flit back and forth
Quickly, searchingly
As though she could puncture the protective covering
Enveloping me
Her hands are so small and I think
Perhaps they hold the key to transport to oblivion
But this notion passes quickly
Her English is broken; the night before
I worked that to my advantage; I plan on doing so
again now
My misery has no bottom
As though I've been conscripted by wretchedness
So stark a contrast is this from the night before
Then, the alcohol and carnal energies were revelatory
But orgasm is the popping of a balloon
It, too, disseminates revelations
She is what she is
My degradation levels me, if only momentarily
About Samuel Sohn: I'm a 26 Korean kid from Jersey.
I recently graduated law school in Southern California and count
myself among the legion of disillusioned lawyers. Presently,
I live in Manhattan Beach, CA. Writing, for me, has become a
necessary means of expression. The only other thing that comes
close to being as sacred as writing is pick-up basketball. I
haven't been published yet but I've been working on a novel
on and off the last couple years. It's near done so I hope someone
out there will one day take an interest in it.
