pantoum for not drinking at home

JAKE -

by nat raum

i declare i don’t drink at home,

never pour the rye in my corner cabinet,

but i close out bars every night.

i’m saving myself for more attention.


don’t pour the rye in the corner cabinet

because i’m saving it for company.

i’m saving myself for more attention. i am

obsessed with my perceived glamour.


because i’m saving it for company,

i collect bottle after bottle to display. i am

obsessed with my perceived glamour,

right alongside not being the problem.


i collect bottle after bottle to display, but not

empty. that means i don’t drink much, right?

alongside not being the problem, a manhattan

or three never hurt me.


i am not empty. that means i don’t drink much.

but i close out bars every night.

a manhattan or three never hurt me.

i still declare i don’t drink at home.

nat raum (b. 1996) is a disabled artist, writer, and genderless disaster based on unceded Piscataway and Susquehannock land in Baltimore. They’re the editor-in-chief of fifth wheel press and the author of this book will not save you, the abyss is staring back, random access memory, and others. Past and upcoming publishers of their writing include Gone Lawn, Split Lip Magazine, Allium, and BRUISER. Find them online at natraum.com.