Elizabeth McMunn-Tetangco

Gentleman’s Uniform

I want to talk about
George Santos.

The whole vibe.
The layered sweaters.

Where I live it is too
warm for that, you’d take

the blazer off. Loosen
the tie. Scuff up

the shoes. You’d clean
your glasses on

a corner of your shirt.
I don’t like knots,

is what I’m saying, how they coil

around inside.
I want things clear. I want

the whole worm, not just whatever
sticks out.

I’ve known some liars.
There’s a story

that I always will avoid
and seek — sometimes

at the same time.
White teeth blue

eyes. How I thought then he might
be dumb.

I want to talk about
what happens afterward. When

it’s all over. How he pins his lapel pin back
on his coat when he stands up.

Elizabeth McMunn-Tetangco lives in California’s Central Valley and works as a librarian at UC Merced. Her work has appeared in numerous print and online journals and in several chapbooks. She co-edits One Sentence Poems and First Frost.