
The sex
at roadside motels
is shameless
and unapologetic
perfumed with
intentions,
bared
of pretense,
tourist-attraction
cheap and
coin-operated
by the hour
or the night,
a heady concoction
of neon and mirrors
and sheets worn thin
roar of an engine
hum of diesel
exhale of air brakes
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Photo by Athena Sandrini. Poem ©2026 Jen Payne. If you like this poem, you’ll love my book SLEEPING WITH GHOSTS, on sale at my Etsy Shop.






