104 Degrees
Slaughter Beach, Dog
I saw her in a dream
Exiting the bookstore lobby
Sitting on a bench on Baltimore and reading Murakami
Slipping salt beneath the sun
Her hands now tying up her hair
One pair of deeply tinted shades reflects my unbelieving stare
And at once
I am taken

She asked me what I wanted
As if one ever really knew
And I said, "Dull domestication, free from pressure to pursue
Another love, another touch, another tired conversation"
And then she shut her novel sharply
And proposed a new location
And at once
I obliged

Details for a new protest
Adorn white printer paper flyers
She says, "I feel so old admitting counter-culture makes me tired"
She leads me into the café
Her intention is exact
It is 104 degrees
She takes her coffee hot and black
And at once
I am entranced
She suggests we settle down
Meaning, settle down for good
She knows the perfect place on Martha Street
In her old neighborhood
And then a taxi sounds a horn
And it is full of all our things
And it is parked outside the café
And the driver sounds incredibly
Impatient

When we merge onto the freeway
She rolls her window down completely
The driver dials into a station
And then she smiles at me discreetly
She says, "I love this song"
Then turns away and tracks the clouds
The driver curses with conviction
While "Heavy Metal Drummer" plays us out
Write the lyrics for a rock song made in 2017, titled "104 Degrees", by artist "Slaughter Beach, Dog".