Death by vodka cran, I, Party Girl, in this stranger’s washroom but

Not much washing going on here, no, look away, no pictures please,

Bent over toilet bowl, choking on party streamers, 

All I hear is wheeze wheeze, heaving matched to my gag,

Here it comes again, an explosion of glitter into the water,

Iridescence coats the toilet’s ceramic edge, kind of beautiful, I think,

This wall is so comfortable, I could fall asleep right here, or die, or both,

I open my eyes to the light but am strobbed, rudely! So much white light,

God, who stole m’drink? I surprise myself with my slurring,

I catch my reflection in the toilet’s glitter and smile, oh right, there it is,

Up we go, my knees say, and lift my ball and chain, choking me, bruising me,

I can see the welts already kissing my legs,

Look at me, in the mirror! At least I didn’t lose you too, with my drink, I think,

I still can’t hear the music but I can feel the bass shake my skull like a maraca, 

Must be party time, must be time to leave my funeral, thanks for nothing, God,

The party is still sideways but maybe that’s a good thing? 

I see myself in my little satin dress dipping my head into a bowl of glitter,

I’ll be back with your drink, looks like you need it, I tell myself, I think,

I watch myself float away, into light, and the party girl is back!

Now, where’s my drink, gotta find my drink, who stole my vodka cran.

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Teomi Avila Baker is a writer hailing from the west coast (best coast), currently located in Montreal majoring in creative writing and liberal arts at Concordia University. Her poem “Molly & Me” was previously published in the 2019 issue of UBC's New Shoots Anthology. Avidly avoiding a genre to be boxed into, Teomi writes anything and everything that comes to mind, especially at 2 am when she really should be sleeping. She can often be found at poetry circles, cafes, or frantically typing a trailing thought into her notes app before it's lost on her entirely.