On the Northline by Matthew Milia

Syrup and saccharin
Don’t really factor in
When I’m with Catherine

On the Northline
Where 15 years after the high school braces lift
On the Northline
The tectonic molars and incisors start to shift
On the Northline
The municipal golf course is strewn in October leaves
On the Northline
The scratch-offs and night coughs are stolen by the nursing home thieves

On the Northline
The McDonald’s sign ain’t the only pending deal
On the Northline
On the Northline

You peel at the way you feel today
Till a 10-year-older version of you
Kneels in the dark ditch
And shows you what is real

Rotting inheritance
Plotting some errands with
Whatever your parents left

On the Northline
You had the physique of a youth travel soccer coach
On the Northline
Your hatchback was matte black and sleek in its nightly approach
On the Northline
There's a sense that the denseness of night is colliding with age
On the Northline
There's a sector of town that dissolves in a black hole of beige

On the Northline
There's this friend of mine
Who's just dying to make a deal
On the Northline
On the Northline

You peel at the way you feel today
Till a 10-year-older version of you
Kneels in the dark ditch
And shows you what is real

Appears on On the Northline