C.

I slide my middle name under my best green shirt
attach it to my nipples with duct tape and a kind thought
then try desperately to forget it is there

every other thursday, she walks into my room
and hands me the white envelope with the clear window

through which my first name and surname are revealed
but my middle remains hidden behind the illusion of a single letter

"Thank you,"
I say politely with a genuine smile wrapped around my nasally tenor
first, I suppose for the money
but also because my nipples are erect

I know what it all means.