Valentine's

the air is still, it's five o'clock
wet streamers on red walls
the rugs are thick with dampened ashes
as the morning falls
a plastered laugh shrieks, echoing
cross-faded with a tortured snore
concluding groans of desperate sex
from every bolted door
one more glass of luke-warm wine
and one more fancy cigarette
she wraps a sheet around her waist
this evening is not finished yet
everyone on valentine's
got drunk enough to kiss her
tonight she will be satisfied
with something if it kills her
she executes through broken glass
a vomit dodging dance
through slips of papers, names and numbers
scrawled in drunken hands
sliding down the sticky stairway
lucky cinderella's heir
and somebody should notice her
some passed out prince beneath a chair
everyone on valentine's
got drunk enough to kiss her
tonight she will be satisfied
with something if it kills her
but nothing's left except the stench
and bottles in the hall
she hangs the streamers up again
turns on the disco ball
and sitting there till day
with all the patience in the world
she swears she won't get up until
she feels like she's a real live college girl