Slasher

We all wait

for the happy ending—

the masked man

back in the lake,

his machete bagged

and taken as evidence,

the camp reassembled,

repainted, restaffed.

Then it happens.

Trees bud again,

gates open,

buses unload

group after group.

All is fine for a while,

until one night

a counselor smiles at another.

He says to him,

“Let’s meet by the water.”

You know what happens–

clothes on the grass

and lips touching.

The old monsters rise.

We all hope

for the happy ending.

 

 

 

Isaiah Vianese is author of the poetry collection, Men and Music. His poems and book reviews have appeared in Assaracus, Blue Collar Review, The Fourth River, Lambda Literary, Moon City Review, and Rattle. He is also author of the chapbook, Stopping on the Old Highway (Recycled Karma Press 2009) and a book for kids. He lives in New York City, where he teaches writing. For more information, please check out his blog at: ivianesefromyes.blogspot.com.