Before the Frisky Kitty Burned Down

Maddie has biker gang tattoos on her back
and she always makes the DJ play Pantera
Maddie, short for Madeline

who cuts her coke in two straight lines

I once saw her shove a grown man to the floor
nobody nuts on my leg for free, fuckface

her nails are painted silver
in the car she gives my hand a little squeeze
like don’t be scared

the edges of her netted stockings press
into the flesh of her thighs
and the ad in the back of the weekly
said FAST MONEY
said $$$ CASH $$$
for ATTRACTIVE LADIES 18+

outside the window the summer clouds
flash violet streaks between the hills
we park and pass the orange bit
of a lit joint back and forth
between our tanned faces

am I remembering it right?
the man answering the door showing us
the gun in his waistband leading us
upstairs
the coyote grinning on the lawn

a stray ember

in the valley’s slow, thick heat
something incubates