ardis

seventy-seven today
she orders seven seven and sevens
up ends every one
again she says twos my lucky multiplier
fifty-five year old daughter gets off work at the petsmart
orders a seven and seven
three divorces two kids and i’m
growin’ up just like my ma
seven and sevens for both of us
but the trucker at the counter is buying
hour later the daughter’s trucker dirty dancing
ardis is getting drunker than usual
she ‘fesses to the tender: i love my daughter
then she starts crying
i’m seventy-seven today and i want another
seven and seven
the tender says no you’re plastered, ardis
ardis gets pissed
meanwhile a second trucker is trying for the daughter
the first plants him and then boy do the teeth and
saliva and blood fly oh my the daughter is aroused
she gets another seven and seven and then the Wolf
comes in and everybody gets quiet ’cause
everybody knows the Wolf is a killer
ardis and the daughter stay ’til closing
the bartender walks them out and
ardis falls down in the parking lot
eyes bewildered
she gets up and slides behind the wheel
of her 1981 Riviera
the wipers come one and she locks the door
before the tender can take her keys
spinning rocks and she jumps the railroad ties
and spends a minute in the field before jumping onto
the main road
smoothly accelerating off
into her seventy-eighth year