portion of the artwork for Scott Beal's poem

the other drives the octopus home from the Detroit Cobras show
Scott Beal

because they’d bought tickets weeks before The Talk    and
because the octopus had four beers at the show    which rocked
absolutely rocked    the singer for the opener made crazy faces
and wide-mouthed growls    the octopus bought their CD
but they don’t play it in the car    they listen instead
to a mix the octopus made as a birthday gift

with lavish Pandora research to find songs on the other’s wavelength
it even clamped its beak and added Coldplay    and fucking Snow Patrol
because love is sacrifice    between sets they’d shared a table
and the octopus pressed with questions    what is it you want?
a: a partner with a spine    do you see us together in two years?
a: not likely    the other once refused to sing in front of anyone

but sings with Adele now in the car    ain’t no room in my bed
as far as I’m concerned
    right beside the octopus    who can’t bear
another night on the futon    another minute in this car
so tries to press into camouflage against the black vinyl of the door
but lacking the right chromatophores    oscillates red yellow brown
like a tongue turning in a mouth that can’t close


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FRiGG: A Magazine of Fiction and Poetry | Issue 46 | Fall 2015