"Whatever", Someone Said to Me

I listened to the chanteuse
singing her heart about
something I could only understand
through the feel of the tongue

the smell of the storm
came in through the broken
window screen
and it tasted like the first car wash
of the day

trees shook and danced
mimicking the sounds of raindrops
that hadn't yet fallen
leaves made landing strips
of the sidewalk
alongside the stray blades
of grass

I heard the brakes squeal
under pressure
mixed-gender yells and screams
a romantic horror
that went to black at the last scene
as the two lovers
were about to kiss the knife

I wasn't sure
why I was bleeding
but
I knew
why I was laughing