Kevin McGowan was born and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He’s
been a paratrooper, factory worker, and caretaker for the mentally ill. He lives
in Louisiana and teaches at Remington College. His chapbooks include Rubric
(2004) and No Passengers (2005).
Skins and Shirts
After a ten-year gap
we met in a bar
in desert California,
where I couldn't smoke.
She was proud of her recent
conversion to liberal feminism-
told me several times-
and she talked about
bowling for fahrenheit 451,
human rights and political debates,
leaving no room for
the music, poetry, and movies
we had once lived on.
I was reminded of a pick-up
basketball game,
the Shirts and the Skins,
that I never liked basketball.
I said I had to go
to the bathroom,
and I did
on a plane headed back
to Cutoff, Louisiana.
I have only so many moments to live,
and these are not negotiable.
