After The Party

We ate tortilla chips
with guacamole and
salsa on our way
back to East and Third

Our high heels blistered
our ankles,
raw
little dollops of blood
painted the back straps
of our shoes

Strands of bleached blond
ends, and dyed brown strips
flew in front of our faces,
wrapping around freshly pierced
nose rings, all
because the wind at 2 a.m.
wanted to say
‘hello’

Our stomachs gurgled,
full of late-night snacks,
and tequila;
every time we swallowed,
we were reminded of
the burn

After the party,
our mothers will fail
to understand
why our cheeks were
stained with tears;
streaky lines of mascara
etched into the crevices
of our faces

Hearts were snapped in
Two; boyfriends kissed
Sluts upstairs, while
Girlfriends danced with
Other girlfriends,
Red solo cups in
Hand

Classmen of upper
and lower, snorted
cocaine like it was
fairy dust;
enough to get them out
of what they knew reality
to be

Eyes, nose and mouth
were shoved into the
porcelain throne,
puking our brains out,
“You’re not even gonna remember this
Tomorrow.”

Pretzels,
PB&J, cheese crackers;
things that were supposed to
absorb
the poison

 

Samantha Flaherty is a college student from Salem, Massachusetts. She loves photography and young adult fiction, but when she is not writing something you’re mother will be worried you are reading, she is usually trying to fit a sweater on her cat.

Jury S. Judge is an internationally published artist, photographer, writer, poet, and political cartoonist. Her “Astronomy Comedy” cartoons are also published in Lowell Observatory’s quarterly publication, The Lowell Observer. She has been interviewed on the television news program, “NAZ Today” for her work as a political cartoonist. Her artwork has been widely featured in literary magazines such as Dodging The Rain, The Tishman Review, Open Minds Quarterly, Blue Moon Review, and The Ignatian Literary Journal. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BFA from the University of Houston-Clear Lake in 2014.