PORTRAIT OF A LIAR

Dude. Babe. I’m cuddled up in my cardigan and Lil Bae’s got a story to tell in a bathtub big enough for tew. Let’s paint a picture of a Mississippi man who’s gonna make camping great again. Armed with his passport to America, wind with me through this rotten apple. Look out for bandits, look out for bears, we’re taking the portal to Destin-y.
Turn up the Steely Dan, this Bucs Fan is taking his Dodge Ram to the latest caravan. He’s living large with his Micro Minnie. Two dirty martinis please, one to drink, and one to spill
the drunken truth or the honest lies, whatever will stain your pants the best. 
Wander with us through the roaring aquarium, the dry casinos, the bleeding Smokies, ride straight into the Grand Lake. The long drive could be heaven or could be
Hell, maybe we should stop at Taco Smell, or how about we take that left hand slice to the golf garden instead? Hide some cigarettes in your waistband, slip on those white vans, roll a j, but please, no PD—
A Thai restaurant wedding speech, ER cocaine, white water raft, dine and dash, let’s have ourselves a day. Forget trick or treating, let’s go easter egg hunting, but wait, he’s still searching for his keys. Smash your phone, mom is calling, Ambien wandering, cancel the plans, you weren’t going anyway, taking life           day      by        day

where is day by day ever going to take you? 

From the condo view to the Crested view, let’s watch baseball and fall asleep rocking in our chair. Damn. Is life easy like a Sunday morning now? 

Didn’t   peg   you for a 

                                                             liar 

but even if you can’t smell or taste    

do you still

  promise?

Shanna Merceron is a Florida writer whose work can be found in many acclaimed literary journals and magazines. Shanna holds an MFA in Fiction from Hollins University, where she wrote stories that explored the darker aspects of humanity and pushed the boundaries of the strange. She is currently at work on her first novel, and when not writing, best spends her time traveling or with her dog. You can read more of her work via her website: https://linktr.ee/shannamerceron