YOU DO NOT MAKE ME THINK ABOUT DEATH

at least 1 out of 8 people

I have met in this city in the past four years

have tried to kill themselves

your midriff is sexy and you have never tried to kill yourself

most of the other people drink too much

or smoke cigarettes

or does something else that is not good for them

and it’s kind of like killing one’s self

but slower

sometimes the water from my kitchen sink has too much calcium in it

so you drink from a water bottle with a filter in it

because if you don’t these little spots on your front teeth

turn really white

it is cool that I am not Gatsby-ing you

and it is also cool that you have never tried to kill yourself

ZOE CONTROS KEARL is a Texas raised writer now living and working in Brooklyn. Her poetry and music criticism have been published in places. She is a big fan of air travel and the Atlantic Ocean.