February Lyrics

At the bank I felt like I was in Super Mario World. I pointed at things that made me feel that way and I pointed at the ceiling and we went to a furniture store. We sat there. And we went to a bookstore.

You said you wanted to read ‘Against Love.’ I said Lorrie Moore had a character with a like-life instead of a love-life and you said that was good. ‘Lorrie Moore is good,’ I said.

A little girl ran by with about fifteen books and you said she was a genius.

We read a children’s book that told children to eat hot dogs. And we hid it. And you pointed at Infinite Jest. I said my girlfriend read it and you got quiet. You were quiet and asked why I didn’t live with my girlfriend. ‘I don’t have a girlfriend,’ I said. ‘You just said you did,’ you said. I said I meant ex-girlfriend and a Barnes and Noble person stood above us.

The Barnes and Noble lady wore a kimono. She freaked out and gave a lecture about where to sit and we paid attention and she ran away. I looked at your face. I said something and you laughed.

You snorted when you laughed and I said that you snorted. You were louder and happier than before. I slapped you a little. I said I was wearing kimonos to work from now on. I brought you the punk planet with my story in it.

Is it real?’ you said. ‘You said everything you write is real.’

I said I didn’t know and I said maybe. ‘Just read it,’ I said. ‘Just read it later,’ I said.

You read it and I looked at the side of your face. The story had my ex-girlfriend and a guitar and you asked me if I played guitar. I said, ‘I don’t know.’ I said I played drums. You said you were twenty-six and made minimum wage at Barnes and Noble and wore kimonos to work. And we used escalators to get to the first floor.

And we made it. I said I was going to pants you. And when we got outside it was nighttime.

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About

Genius Annotation

Tao Lin is the author of three novels, two books of poetry, one short story collection, and a novella, as well as essays and articles for Vice Magazine, The Believer, The New York Observer, Gawker, and other outlets. His third novel, Taipei, will be published by Vintage in June 2013.

“February” is from Lin’s first poetry collection, you are a little bit happier than i am.

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