Former Fourteen Hills contributor and recent Pushcart Prize winner Kim Addonizio makes drinking a Pacifico beer sound incredibly lascivious and illicit — like an affair — in this poem that first appeared in issue 4.2:
Affair
God it’s sexual, opening a beer when you swore you wouldn’t drink tonight,
taking the first deep gulp, the foam backing up in the long amber neck
of the Pacifico bottle as you set it on the counter, the head spilling over
of the Pacifico bottle as you set it on the counter, the head spilling over
so you bend to fit your mouth against the cold lip
and drink, because what you are, aren’t you, is a drinker — maybe not a lush,
not an alcoholic, not yet anyway, but don’t you want
a glass of something most nights, don’t you need the gesture
of reaching for it, raising it high and swallowing down and savoring
the sweetness, or the scalding, knowing you’re going to give yourself to it
like a lover, whether or not he fills up the leaky balloon of your heart —
don’t you believe in trying to fill it, no matter what the odds,
don’t you believe it still might happen, aren’t you that kind of woman?
*fans self* Why don’t you share that one with your sweetheart this weekend, and see what happens. You may also like Addonizio’s other contribution to issue 4.2, “No More Poems About The Marriage.” Remember, you can order back issues at any time through our website.
Have a great weekend, friends. Spread your love of words far and wide!
-Leanne, Fourteen Hills assistant poetry editor
14 Hills does such an amazing job of featuring intriguing works. Thanks for posting this gem!
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