By Mike Wilson
We pay for three mind massages
enter the antechamber of magic
popcorn machines gush
uniformed teens behind the counter
pimp neon red and blue drinks,
sugar and chocolate, something chewy,
whatever you want for your mouth orgy
and a fistful of napkins to clean up after.
We show our tickets to the concierge
of this happy whorehouse of dreams
his knowing smile is a wink.
He tears our inhibitions in half
and sends us down carpeted hallways
where fantasy’s embrace awaits –
cartoon characters that sing and dance
defeat evil and find true love.
We open a heavy door and enter darkness
so engulfing it renders us powerless,
dotted with intimate shadows of strangers.
We sink in seats of surreal softness,
recline, prepared to surrender everything
to the practiced hands of screenwriters
who know the formula for happiness
so hard to find in harsh daylight.
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Mike Wilson’s work has appeared in many magazines and in Mike’s book, Arranging Deck Chairs on the Titanic (Rabbit House Press). A second poetry collection (Before the Fall, Kelsay Books) and a debut novel (Food Court, Main Street Rag) are forthcoming in 2026. Mike lives in Lexington, Kentucky.