He Said He Wanted to Go. By Ryan Quinn Flanagan

It was total theatre.

None of us had been to New York, 

but this one was straight off Broadway.

Pointing fingers with false indignance.

Pretending that someone was holding him back

even though there was no one there.

Not even a slight headwind.

But this one played the part.

Looked down around his chest as if 

a ghost was holding him back.

And he said he wanted to go.

With this giant fat fucker who was also a friend.

Over this girl who neither of them were getting with.

Yet there we were.

Standing out in the middle of the street past midnight.

It was absurd.

And this one said he wanted to go,

because he knew I would protect him.

Make sure nothing happened and that I’d step in

if anything ever really did so that he had carte blanche 

to shoot his mouth off. 

And I was still young and stupid and loyal.

I would eventually learn, but no one fought 

that night.

Not over this girl,

not anything.

Saving his ass from yet another beating.

So he could play the big man 

and look good in front of this other girl 

who is now his wife.

Ryan Quinn Flanagan is a Canadian-born author residing in Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada with his wife and many bears that rifle through his garbage.  His work can be found both in print and online in such places as: Evergreen Review, The New York Quarterly,The Rye Whiskey Review, Outlaw Poetry Network, Under The Bleachers, The Dope Fiend Daily and In Between Hangovers.