Costume

The groom’s uncle told a joke about a horse,

and I laughed so hard my ribs started to ache.

It was a performance. A matter of course.

I was a very convincing, high-end fake.

In the bathroom later, I saw the truth—

the starch in my collar had chewed on my neck.

And a leaf of spinach was stuck on a tooth,

a little green flag in the middle of the wreck.

I unbuttoned the shirt. The welts were red.

I looked like a man who’d been caught in a lie.

I should have stayed home in my own messy bed

instead of pretending I’m that kind of guy.