Bottoms Up

by Michael Dylan Welch, Julie Emerson, Lynne Jambor, Brenda Larsen, Jacquie Pearce, Angela Naccarato, and Vicki McCullough

First published in Prune Juice #25, July 2018, page 69. Written 14 April 2018 at the Shaughnessy Restaurant, VanDusen Botanical Garden, Vancouver, British Columbia, after the first day of the 2018 Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival’s Sakura Days Japan Fair. At the bottom is a photo by Jacquie Pearce of me reading the finished product.

pinning the tail . . .

a smoothie spilled

at the birthday party Michael

the same coffee cup

her lover drank from Julie

he chugs

the last of the club soda . . .

designated driver Lynne

scotch & water

the taste of metal Brenda

mai tai on the beach

she takes a sip

from her daydream Jacquie

the night is now over Angela

Moscow mule Vicki