Nightcrawler Buys a Woman a Drink

You’re staring, jaw-dropped at my tail. And yes,
it’s a good twenty inches long and moves
like a serpent in heat. Touch it. I’m no devil, honey,
I don’t got no souls, just the smoothest, bluest fur
you’ve ever seen. Don’t mind my buddy here, he looks angry
all the time, and he’s got eyes for the bottle of Jameson
and the short-haired blonde playing pool near the gorillas.
What do we do? Over a few drinks I could tell you about the time
we traveled to the blue side of the moon or when we fought
the Juggernaut right here in this bar. Yeah, the fangs are real.
Rub your finger over them, touch the deviled tongue.
Caress my fur with your skin, let me keep your body warm
in the dark. It’s your night, honey. Show me a woman not afraid
of a mutant man. Let me mix into your bloodline.

Gary Jackson
“Nightcrawler Buys a Woman a Drink” is from Missing You, Metropolis (Graywolf Press, 2010).