Donald Vincent
Dating Advice from Married Women

(Woman in her late 20s):
I think it’s hard for two attractive people
of the opposite sex to be friends.
You’re handsome. Just smile,
make her laugh. You always make
me laugh. You’re too funny,
be funny.

(Woman 33, engaged with two children):
My little sisters would love you and
your swag. But the three of them
have kids. You don’t need the stress.
My only sister without a child
is the wildest and I wouldn’t do
that to you.

(Woman 38-years-of-age):
I am so happy you came into my life.
Don’t settle down until you’re thirty
something. Run these streets and ruin
some sheets. I shouldn’t be this
inappropriate at work, but I must
touch your butt.

(Woman, Widow, 60-plus):
You’re a breath of fresh air.
Remind me of my late husband.
If I was a few decades, maybe
even a couple of years younger,
the things I would do. I have
a granddaughter your age,
sadly she’s taken.

Men I’ve Slept With

                              for Matthew Dickman

I carry your poems. (I carry them in
my backpack) Always over my shoulder,

everywhere I go. Whenever I sleep,
next to my bed or under my pillow.

Like Lady Day's crooning, your words
lull me into a suspended stupor,

barely even conscious, having conversations
with my consciousness during nights of cold

sweats when I wanted to be a poet, to have
the tongue of God. I say—I shouldn't love

a man this much. I fell for Langston.
He was by my bedside first, thanks

to his light skin. Followed by black legends
TSE, Kevin Young, Carl Phillips,

but Mayakovsky's Revolver's hard cover
should be wrapped in selvedge denim,

those words do not unravel. Seemingly
a prophet, your scriptures remind me of my ex-girl.

Friend, if Major Jackson were wheat bread
then, you be the organic French baguette,

top shelf.

_ _

Donald Vincent teaches in the Writing, Literature, and Publishing Department at Emerson College. He is the creator of Mr. Hip Presents, a reading series that infuses poetry, spoken word, and jazz features in art galleries in the Boston area. When he’s not in a classroom or teashop, he can most likely be found scouring the world of Instagram and Twitter as @Mr_Hip. His poems appear in Black Heart Magazine, Poetry Quarterly, Stone Highway Review, Boston Poetry Magazine, Eunoia Review, and elsewhere.

>> Back to Issue 18, 2015