at the Mirage night club

[paperhouse]

*

somehow the side of the building
that housed The Mirage night club
was spray-painted overnight
without anyone noticing.

the mural, almost a storey high,
illustrated a naked woman with
dark eyes lying down
on green sheets. the folds of
the sheets were perfectly
shadowed and her eyes were
as large as car tires.

for the few nights that
she was up there
girls with too much lipstick
restless & shivering
in the lineups were averting
their eyes, trying not to compare
their bodies to hers.

slick boys fumbling with
their cellphones & cigarettes
felt confused & were unable
to find the energy to attempt
picking up girls. the dance
floor remained mostly empty.

the painters that were hired to erase her,
young college students, all tried
to hide their emotions as they
painted a clinical-white over her.
looking away when they covered
her sex, nipples, & eyes.
everyone eating quietly on
their lunch break.

after 2 or 3 coats they felt
they could still see her outline
but knew it was just their minds
playing tricks on them. they
were tired, covered in specks of paint
& it was time to go home.

when they got into their van
& drove away someone said
winter’s coming in too soon
& another said
it always seems that way around
this time of the year
as the radio station
began to crackle
filling their heads
with snow.

*