←

"The Costco Couple" by Christoph Paul
 

The couple at Costco
stand in separate lines

so they can get home sooner.

They have dinner to cook

and Saturday Night Sex planned

to work off the meal.

A night together

ending with smiles and spooning,

falling asleep to Saturday Night Live.

The wife’s line moves closer.

The husband joins her and compliments the dress she bought,

saying she’ll look hot in it.

Her face turns the same color of her lipstick.

She smiles and kisses him on the cheek.

​

He holds her close, trying feel her heart rate.

It’s raised, so subtle, but his words mean so much,

making her still feel wanted and secure.

She rests her head on his shoulder.

There’s no overflow of passion

to make out while the cashier looks up the price

of an old lady’s blueberries.

None of this will ever inspire an epic love poem,

but the Costco couple will have obituaries I’ll envy.

​

"You Are Not Your Amazon Ranking" by Christoph Paul
 

You are not your Amazon sales rank.

Say it how Tyler Durden said it

to his space monkeys.

Say it the way Buddhists

see The World

with no I, me, or you.

Say it the way the girl at the bar

bats away free drinks

with cold eyed confidence.

Say it like the old writers

who only knew 

paper, passion, and patrons.

​

​