Digital to Analog (Dupont Circle)
by Erik Moyer
I went digital to analog
chess online to in the park
Across the board sits a man
bearded and slightly bored
His next move is already made
no dependence to my own
He spreads a smoke upon my face
like a butter, telepathizing
Good God, go
Good God, go
And I would, but I’m stubborn
I want the long diagonal
He wants the long diagonal
We want the same long diagonal
“I’ve heard good things about those e-
lectronic cigarettes,” I filibuster
“I'm not addicted to nicotine,” he grunts
“I'm addicted to cigarettes”
He sits like a pit
sits in waiting, like a pit
brooding, buttering me thick
And I get it
Live a slow life
goes by too fast
Speeds up
when you slow down
Slows down
when you’re in Montana
Gobble some speed in Montana
just goes slower
He forks me in three, returning
triumphant to his cardboard castle
Erik Moyer is a creative writing PhD student and teaching fellow at the University of North Texas. He holds an MFA from the University of California, Irvine and a BS from the University of Virginia. His work has been featured in Berkeley Poetry Review, Cola Literary Review, Euphony, Literary Imagination, and Summerset Review, among others, and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Outside of school, he works as a data engineer.