Things That Can’t Buy You Love

by James Mathis

Two thousand fifty-seven dollars
Food, foot rubs, a foggy forest walk
Music, in any form
Faking a love of musicals
Fifty-one hours spent repairing
A car, a coat, a couch, a conscience.
Casting amor like a net
A boob job (or paying for one)
Pointing to the sky and saying “You can fly”
Fucking like a goat
Cooking a favorite meal a dozen times
Enduring banal sports events
Complimenting bad hair, shoes, clothing, singing
Holding someone’s hand whose pet or parent just died
Holding someone’s hair back while they
Vomit margaritas and tacos
Cancelling domestic violence charges
Tolerating their friends or family
Twenty minutes spent on a kiss
Ignoring mispronounced words
A thousand sunsets
Two hours of conversation or twelve
Attention
Space
Respecting boundaries
An intervention
Any invention
Thinking about it
Longing for it
Yearning
Disinterest
Apathy