The Buzzing of Boozehounds and Morfiends

[Bueller]

I would clap the jokers between my hands
that circle around you like horseflies -- the smokers,
the shit stokers, the cock strokers.

The casinovas, the supernovas
that burn bright and transient,
I'd swat them away

if you weren't smiling
at their bites like kisses
and their wings like monarchs.

This is quite enjoyable - on the surface, about the beloved's giddy fads, somewhere underneath that all about the viewpoint character's jealousy and envy of them; "wings like monarchs" suggests they're not only ephemeral but grander than the viewpoint.

Small correction:  unless you're trying for a meld with "casino," "casinovas" looks a lot like a misspelling of "Casanova(s)."  If you replaced some "the" in the first two stanzas with descriptive adjectives, something like "Club casinovas" would dispel that doubt.  So would "casino-vas," but that lacks subtlety.

Liked it very much - clever and economical.

dukealien,

Unfortunately, that was a spelling error. I usually double check these things, but I fear that this was a classic case of being too eager to post. Thank you for mentioning the mistake.

Thank you for your kind words and insightful reading.

Luke