Two Tuscaloosa Missed Connections
Brian Oliu


Taska losa — The Park At Manderson Landing m4w

Here is a list of people that have drowned in the river: apple, bear, crush, dime, eagle, fire, fire, ghost, ghost, ghost, hair, iron, jab, kite, loss, lost, lose, me. Here is a list of what it sounded like when they were drowning: the rolling up of a car window when you know it is going to rain later that day, a gas-powered stove turning on in order to boil water for noodles, a hand feeling around an empty pocket. I grew up near a river much like this one. I took the hand of someone like you and slid down the slope to where the water mixed with the silt, where it would stick to your ankles if you were not careful. We were not careful. Let me let you in on a secret: this town is falling into the river. Here is a list of everything that will be gone: the stadium where I saw you, the frozen yogurt shop where I saw you, the gym where I saw you, the bookstore where I saw you, the store where I saw you, the store where I saw you, the intersection where I saw you, the classroom where I saw you, the shopping center where I saw you, the parking deck where I saw you, the party you never came to, the church where I saw you, the road where I saw you. Where will that leave us? If you want to find me while we are drowning amidst the drowning, I will be there thinking about home. If you want to press your lips to mine and suck out the air from my lungs so that you may force air from your nose, to make child's sounds with your mouth, please, come. Do not refuse. Try and stop me. Try and stop me from giving you air like you are a balloon and I am drowning. Don't try to stop me. I am trying to tell you something but if I move my lips I will break the seal. I want to tell you that this is about you. You know who you are. You know where you have been. None of that is important now. Here is a list of people that will drown in the river:







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