i should have known when the damn
thing went almost no bid and i just had
to get mine in there just had to no chance
to let it go so cheap and what would it 
hurt how could i lose it was so cheap so cheap
and what a deal a guitar and case and stickers
all over the case and a little beat up for sure
but more like wear and tear to a music lover the
auctioneer had said and what a steal they said and
someone even patted me on the back ‘thank you
thank you very much’ as i held it in my hands the 
handle and it wasn’t that heavy the guitar and 
case vintage heavily vintage in fact timeless
and all for the price well less than a sandwich really
how could i lose well how could i and so it was 
‘property of a musician’ and nice guitar when i opened 
it up and cleaned it rubbed it and wiped it down no
strong cleaners just a clean cloth and a little love
and how could i know what would it hurt at that 
price a steal how could i know and then he appeared
there wasn’t a poof just more of a ta daaaaah i’m
here and dressed in a black leather jacket jeans and
greasy hair and sun glasses too and there might 
have been a puff of smoke i can’t remember but he
has sideburns and never shuts up and it’s ‘maaaan’ this
and ‘maaan’ that and ‘sir’ and ‘ma’am’ and ‘well uh uh uh huh’
and bop this and bop that and scatting do wop da wop
and there was no three wishes like you hear about and 
i don’t even want to touch the damn thing and he walks
out of the closet i put it in and i can’t sell it and can’t give
it away has to be bought or purchased and i can’t get rid of
it and it’s not really a curse just he plays rockabilly all
night and no i have no idea when he’s going to just
come out and play all night drinks all the whiskey and beer i have
and sings medleys and cries about his time in nashville and memphis
plays endless solos and when it’s bad i can’t even have anyone
over because how can i really explain a guy who lives
in my closet and comes out wearing cheetah print or
leopard spots or a gold lame jacket and keeps asking me
where rockabilly lives and have i seen duane or eddie or wanda 
or gene or picks up my landline the old yellow one in the corner
and calls jerry lee or elvis on it and actually gets an answer

[Mike Sluchinski is out on a cellar crawl with the clurichauns again, so please leave a message at the beep. Grateful to be read in Eternal Haunted Summer, The Wave (Kelp), The Literary Review of Canada, The Coachella Review, Inlandia, Welter, Poemeleon, Lit Shark, Proud To Be Vol. 13, The Ekphrastic Review, MMPP (Meow Meow Pow Pow), Kelp Journal, ‘the fib review’, Syncopation Lit. Journal, South Florida Poetry Journal (SOFLOPOJO), Freefall, pulpmag and more coming!]