A smoke break with Tina Turner

[started with the original song's lyrics]

[first draft of a poem, returned to prose and blacked out to only keep phrases that stand out to me]

The air is dehydrated again today, still a second-hand emotion already rested in someone else’s chest. A dozen afternoons flicker to ash. I hear the glass door and then a sticking burst of light.  when the ignition slides open with a thumb, physical. For a moment, worry is pulled to the side, offered a cheap lungful of crumbs. The wind blows.

I can ignore any more than that. I forget most of the names I hear that leave me thirsty and dry. All the books in the living room stay open. Stovetop rumbles. I don’t know why I remember any of this. There’s a name for this. moment. This is a dinner cue. Time for both of us to rest.

[A multi-step translation: English to Ukrainian to Korean to Arabic to English, blacked out to only keep phrases that stand out to me]

You must understand the touch of your hand

Make my pulse racing

The excitement of a boy meeting a girl

attract the opposite

physical

Logical

You should ignore that this means more than that.

What does love have to do with it?

What is love if not an indirect feeling?

What does love have to do with it?

Who needs a heart when you can break it?

You might think I'm messy.

when you are by my side

If you seem dumbfounded, read on somewhere

There is a good reason

There is a name for it

There is a matching phrase

But for some reason you did it for me

I went in a new direction

But I have to say

I'm thinking of protecting myself

I'm afraid to feel it

What matters is love, what is the reason you are here

What is love if not a sweet old concept?

[The original song’s lyrics, blacking out four-word phrases]

You must understand how the touch of your hand Makes my pulse react That it's only the thrill of boy meetin' girl Opposites attract It's physical Only logical You must try to ignore that it means more than that What's love got to do, got to do with it? What's love but a second hand emotion? What's love got to do, got to do with it? Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken? It may seem to you that I'm acting confused When you're close to me If I tend to look dazed I've read it someplace I've got cause to be There's a name for it There's a phrase that fits But whatever the reason you do it for me What's love got to do, got to do with it? What's love but a second hand emotion? What's love got to do, got to do with it? Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken? I've been takin' on a new direction But I have to say I've been thinkin' about my own protection It scares me to feel this way What's love got to do, got to do with it? What's love but a second hand emotion? What's love got to do, got to do with it? Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken? Got to do, got to do with it What's love but a sweet old-fashioned notion? What's love got to do, got to do with it? Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken? Got to do, got to do with it What's love but a second hand emotion? What's love got to do, got to do with it? Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken? What's love? Got to do it Got to do it What's love? But a second hand emotion? Got to do, got to do with it What's love but a second hand emotion?) What's love got to do, got to do with it? Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken...

[Only the remaining words from the above process]

The makes it’s boy it’s must it what’s got what’s hand to with heart be to confused look someplace be it fits you what’s got what’s hand to with heaty be on I been protection feel got but what’s got who a got do but notion do it when broken to love emotion do it when broken do it second do it second got do a can

 

[The original song’s lyrics, only the verbs]

You must understand how the touch of your hand

Makes my pulse react

That it's only the thrill of boy meetin' girl

Opposites attract

It's physical

Only logical

You must try to ignore that it means more than that

What's love got to do, got to do with it?

What's love but a second hand emotion?

What's love got to do, got to do with it?

Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken?

It may seem to you that I'm acting confused

When you're close to me

If I tend to look dazed I've read it someplace

I've got cause to be

There's a name for it

There's a phrase that fits

But whatever the reason you do it for me

What's love got to do, got to do with it?

What's love but a second hand emotion?

What's love got to do, got to do with it?

Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken?

I've been takin' on a new direction

But I have to say

I've been thinkin' about my own protection

It scares me to feel this way

 

[only the remaining words from the above process]

Must understand makes react it’s meeting attract it’s must try ignore means what’s got to do got to do what’s what’s got to do got to do needs can be broken seem I’m acting you’re tend to look I’ve read it I’ve got to be there’s there’s fits do what’s got to do got to do what’s what’s got to do got to do needs can be broken I’ve been taking have to say I’ve been thinking scares to feel

 

[The original song’s lyrics, everything except the verbs]

You how the touch of your hand my pulse that only the thrill of boy girl opposites physical only logical [CA1] you to that it more than that love with it love but a second hand emotion love with it who a heart when a heart it may seem to you that confused when close to me if I dazed it someplace cause a name for it a phrase that but whatever the reason you it for me love with it love but a second-hand emotion love with it who a heart when a heart on a new direction but I about my own protection it me this way

 

[The original song’s lyrics, only the nouns]

You touch hand pulse thrill boy girl opposites it you it that love it love emotion love heart heart it you I’m you’re me I i’ve I’ve name it phrase reason you it me

 

[The original song’s lyrics, scrambled]

thinkin' a when I'm to got do, it?

What's love react

That the with second it?

Who to a broken?

Got scares when

What's must got got my to you heart be do to a way

with

What's love love that do heart girl

Opposites love must direction

But but to me hand logical

You it?

Who confused

When when takin' say

I've meetin' do, to heart with do got second to to fashioned it?

Who a love?

it?

Who with do do

do, do got broken... love to you're a to a to got read do look the that heart be a needs about understand to be with to attract

It's it do, do

got to close do, it?

What's heart emotion?

What's do a it

What's only that

hand

Makes it but got can got got means a of got love got broken?

It can my it?

What's do to heart fits

But feel can needs a old may can a with thrill love sweet can to phrase love needs You when with how to be love physical

Only to

Got a got to this you broken?

Got to pulse your got needs hand a have notion?

What's emotion?

What's hand to cause whatever love needs got love hand to but do love second with to with to it on do be to heart needs be

There's a to it

What's me

If try I when do it?

Who it

There's ignore it's to been do, do love dazed boy protection

It when heart than I love to love do, that to heart with second got reason the but with can to got it?

Who a hand seem I've with a love?

But acting do, got emotion?

What's second heart a do emotion?

What's touch me

Oh own name be oh

What's to for a do, it

What's of a emotion?

Got someplace

I've do tend do, broken?

What's but broken?

Huh

I've got it

What's heart heart emotion?

What's got a do a got new it

Got to second to for been got more a hand but

 

[The original song’s lyrics, scrambled a second time]

broken?

Got it?

Who protection

It to got love a a understand cause with fits

But do, needs hand got hand broken... a do, emotion?

What's been do got got love do do a do, to a do

Huh, but to do, got a a do, be second the own react

That got a to but but hand

Makes to with it?

What's hand the a got do thinkin' to be got to acting boy to a heart heart second when do love?

(Ooh, do, it?

Who be to I thrill got a touch to do, scares to to for I'm love reason You it me

If to meetin' emotion?)

What's do be it

What's read this can to for got direction

But broken?

It to emotion?)

What's with a to it?

What's to the it?

What's can with means got how must it

(What's it

(What's your physical

Only of close to ignore a do look old but needs to with love it takin' got with do got got of to oh

What's me

Oh dazed second do when to to be confused

When heart love my feel oh

What's try with you do

Huh, oh

What's do emotion?

What's new it do, broken?

Got love tend hand can do hand a heart it

What's emotion?

What's heart it?

Who heart second only to ooh)

Got second you're love?

(But a but to that to heart a it?

Who heart pulse when to got name broken?

Huh

I've a have whatever seem I've but got to it

There's phrase heart that when to heart I to love love needs do, got to with it

Got got fashioned do hand love me way

Ho that

Oh you must be needs when needs say

I've with someplace

I've been to my can with do needs it?

Who love do, when got logical

You be

There's can attract

It's about girl

Opposites a sweet notion?

What's heart broken?

What's to do love a love a with on may a love got more a do second to love heart it's emotion?)

Got with got it?

Who than that got can love

[A draft of an original poem by me that I don’t feel is working as it is currently but has a similar mood to the previous transformations]

Fleetwood Mac plays while my roommate smokes on the balcony

 

The glass door, or maybe the ignition, slides open.

He says he doesn’t want anything else.

 

Or, at least, the smoke never wins.

He can’t hear anything I say.

 

Or he might just go home.

Another lonely day.

 

He can’t change what he feels.

The smoke unwinds.

 

The wind blows. We watch the sunrise.

He practices baking and eats stale bread.

 

He learns magic from a cauldron.

He doesn’t scrapbook the ashes.

 

A heartbeat drives my roommate mad.

He might sell his lease.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[collection of some of the previous ideas into a cohesive draft]

A smoke break with Tina Turner

A door that can’t open

   CLICK and flickering burst of light

click and

   Deserted outside, no better anywhere else

A messiness that slathers teeth — stains jaws —

Ten minutes crumble to ash,

   Fills tongues with acid—drained eyes of

anything worth seeing.

A broken hand as good as

   a broken name that shakes to hold

      the rolling paper

  for this moment

thirsty and dry

         asking why someone is here that is not her

  the messiness that bites and breaks

because safe is so     far     away

A voice turning back to the kitchen: “Do you have a second? It’s about a girl.”