I am biting the core of the apple and

burning the torch at both ends – as I hold it –

at the pubs with old friends or new lovers.

The pretty, young girls talk sweet and dumb

with fistfuls of attitude and instagram self-worth.

The older women want me to love their flaws

and fuck them younger, but I won’t.

We all play this dance until we’re bored,

lonely and numb from breathing

as the frosty air stings our nasal cavity

and the beer is crisp and bland.