Damages

I am listening to AC/DC again
Reminds of headbanging at age 13
in the back of the HDCS cafeteria
where we held our school dances
I was shit for the Electric Slide
but excellent at whipping my blonde hair
hands on thighs, eyes closed
sounds blur, stars dance behind my lids
No thought to permanent injury
the chaperones roll their eyes
Can't be any worse than a night of drinking
Now I can only think of brains sluicing
sliding, crashing inside my skull
which now reminds me of all the things
I've forgotten over the years
Like dates and lovers and misplaced keys
that I blamed on nights at Redd's Tavern
on cold, staggered walks home through Williamsburg
and those five times I ever took cocaine
but perhaps it was those nights
in the HDCS cafeteria when I was
trying to appear cool and when after
when the lights came on and I crawled
into the back of Liz Horne's dad's Honda
I never admitted to headache
and would hold my skin tight to my skull
bar my eyes from the headlights
and rush off to bed. And silence.