Chris Is Coming Over

Chris is coming over

And I’m supposed to

Wait

Hang out

On the back stairs

Take a smoke break
And wait for Chris

To not be over

Chris comes by

In a nice car

I can’t afford

And my love

Is waiting by the window

For him to pull up

Chris gets Friday nights

And Saturdays

If he wants them

And Chris can come by

During the week

When even family

Can’t stop by

Because the week is for work

But every day

Is for

Chris

Chris gets gifts

On Christmas

And on his birthday
And on my birthday

And on Valentine’s Day

Chris stays for as long

As he wants

And I have to wait

Until he’s gone

Before I can show my face

And when I ask

Why I can’t say ‘Hi’
I’m told I make Chris

Uncomfortable

He doesn’t like

That I’m the one

Who pays the rent

And pays the bills

And pays for the ingredients

My love makes him

Dinner with

I even buy the candles

To set the mood

Chris finds our set-up strange

But it doesn’t stop him

From coming over

He just wants all evidence of it

Out of sight

So he can enjoy his night

While I light my next puff

And listen to the neighbors talk

About what the hell

Is going on next door

My love met Chris

At a bar that closed

Two years ago

He was buying rounds

For whoever would play darts with him

And when my love hit the bullseye

Chris came home that night

And I got woken up

And told

To go sit in the basement

Until I got the all clear

Chris and I have never met

But I know he’s got a well-trimmed beard

And he likes nice Italian shoes

And he does legal consulting

Or something like that

I know he’s not me

And I know he couldn’t be

And vice versa

Which means

I’m not going anywhere

But neither is he

Chris comes over

And I could go

Somewhere of my own

I could find a Chris

And disappear

Two or more nights

A week

See if I can drum up
Any jealousy

But all that would mean

Is that we’ve settled in

To whatever it is

This is

With Chris

And why bring one more

Chris to the door

Or have me be

The Chris to somebody else

Some poor fool

Who once upon a time

Thought it was cool

That a guy like Chris

From the high rise downtown

Would come to where we live

Past Fortune Avenue

And Del Russo Street

Who cares what he was here for?

I had a man

With Italian shoes

Walking through

My house

When somebody like that

Comes over

You don’t kick ‘em out

You wouldn’t dare

Kick ‘em out

You just step aside

And let them take

Whatever

They want