The girl is pretty. Her badge reads Bianca.
Bee. On. Ka. Rolls smoothly from
my mouth like a ball-point pen on skin.
I think she only recently turned eighteen.
Light blue eyes. Velvet hair, past
her shoulder, stops right where her
chest is. More maroon at the edges,
thin edges. Smells like cotton, would
taste like candy.
She is still innocent. Reminds me of Amy
but less of a bitch, more of a darling,
a bud who’ll only grow when surrounded
by fertile soil. When caressed and loved by
a father figure like me. I’m newly fifty-three.
She turns to grab the pack of cigarettes. I’m a magician
with ten hands, twenty eyes, and fifty mouths.
I holler at her so loud she winces, a 20-pack in
her hand. I grab a pack of gum too.
I imagine us together already.
I’m just a king with a hammer. I’m just a man with a habit.
Please, find me someone to escape to. Someone
who won’t scream at me. Who won’t try to escape.
Just relax, and enjoy it. I’ll give everything: my body,
my money, my time, my care, my love, my love, my lover
is this girl right now, Bianca. Bee. On. Ka.
Younger than Amy, probably smarter too.
I don’t even register hitting her, but she’s in the
back of the car. The body’s in the back, her heartbeats
erratic. God tells me she’s the one; I’m convinced
every time.
Amy was her name. She rests at home right now
covered in silk sheets, mummified by cellophane
I imagine the breeze through the open window, her
collarbones bruised like a peach. From afar, it looks
like a hickey I would’ve given her, except it really was a
bruise—she shouldn’t have fought back so hard.
I guess I’ll throw her out.
I live down the avenue. My name is invisible to the crowd.
My idol is dead but so am I.
I live through these girls. I’ll live through
Bianca. I’m sure her parents don’t mind.
I’ll treat her well, I promise to them, hands steady on the wheel.
About the Author
Anthony Imm is currently a senior at Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest. His writing has been nationally recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and various other competitions. Over this past summer, he attended the 92NY Young Writers Workshop in New York City. In his spare time, he likes to watch hour-long documentaries about anything, play with his pet dog, and eat vanilla ice cream.
Instagram: @anthony.imm
