Reactionary - Fred Thomas

I remember daylight draining

Driving through the endless West Texas fading

In remote negotiations on my own evaporating world

Panic was a place I stayed in

I dug my nails into my face out of raw frustration

Too used to my own displacement

And the exhaustion in the way you said my name

And I watched the sun come up

Talking on the front porch in those hushed and toxic breaths

While inside the brand new lovers soft as strangers gently slept

Maybe when you’re finally famous

You can pay someone to do your communicating

And they can translate it

I couldn’t comprehend a word

No, nothing that you said made sense

But I didn’t actually mind

There’s something entertaining

When you’re dealing with reactionary types

In every picture you just looked so sad!

But I guess that was what you liked

I could never understand

Why you wanted that imaginary life