SEE WHAT THE DAY BRINGS

Witten didn’t want to think on it too much or it might distract him. He had half-a-plan and the other half would just have to happen. He scratched the cat’s back and he thought on it. He decided to let it purr, while he pondered his fate.

Was it too soon, or was it too late? The clock ticked down the hall, echoing softly in the half empty house. About forty minutes went by, when he lept up. It was time. He loaded the sedan with two suitcases, a cooler, a trunk, and a cat with carrier, and he set out.

The compass on his dash read Nor West, which was plan enough. He’d had enough of the plains, enough of the flat horizon. Thought he might enjoy a mountain or a forest. First stop when he needed it, but ‘til then, full speed ahead.

Radio on.
Not for long.
Radio off.  
Preferring the silence.

He stopped for gas at the three hundred mile mark. Road looked long and lean, from where he stood, pumping ethyl. He let the cat free to wander the vehicle and would have to leash it so it might relieve itself. That would be a trick in itself, leashing the cat. He'd need to pick up a litter box, and soon.

But, he did so with relative ease, absent the small bloody nick, and once that was accomplished, it was back in the vehicle and back on the road.

He turned on some honky-tonk to break the monotony. It had been too long and he thought he was talking to the cat too much. Wasn’t healthy.

At about six hours out he decided he best eat so when he got to the next town, and a sizable one it was, he found a decent diner and elected to treat himself. Turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, fixin's...and pie. Mighty satisfying. 

Now satiated, he decided on four or five hours of driving before pulling off the road for a snooze. He made it to four and a half, and had to call it a day.

Sunrise shattered his fitful dreams. He covered his eyes, and still saw only the road before him.

But the cat called his name and brought him back to his reality.

He stretched, took a leak, let the cat out, popped a soda, downed it, gathered the cat, and hit the road.

See what the day brings.

V

THERE WAS THIS SPIDER

I  admit to freaking

when the spider

climbed over my arm.

I wasn’t ready for it…

but I was quick,

and I smashed it.

I regret that fact,

I truly do.

Don’t know what I was thinking

…wasn’t thinking, just reacting.

Besides,

an excuse, now,

provides the spider no gain.

But, I will still say a mantra

in the morning

in it’s name.

V

THE CHAIR

 

What the fuck you want?!

Truth be told, those were my last words. I had no idea what came next, but I can assume it was bad.

Bad to the degree that I no longer exist, to walk among you, to share my thoughts, to breath the air…I am nothing, and I wish I could care. But I don’t and I can’t.

This guy’s trying to kill me, and so far I’m letting him.

Chair…caning…clubbing…

chaining…chanting…

what the fuck you want?

 I sat there but I wasn’t present. My mind had left my body…I…disappeared into the atmosphere…way, way back…it was made clear, I was free to suffer no more…so crystal clear, I took it.

V

 

STUPIT MEAN

V

THE CHINESE GIRL

 












The Chinese girl

deserved better,

She was sweet,

I was cruel.

It was my fault,

it was a bad time…

it didn’t work out.

she didn’t see it coming

but then,

neither had I

so I ran

with no explanation

with little hesitation

I ran in desperation

but I still

ran

I don’t know

what could have been,

no one does,

but a secret’s

a secret,

to be carried

to the grave

that’s all said

and sad

the pain 

we cause

along 

the way
won't 
go away

V

DARK CLOUD 2

a fish out of water

V

THERE IS NO LADDER

There was a time when Rosalind gave a shit, but those days were gone. Now she worked her job, but could no longer ‘invest’ in the company. She couldn’t afford the time and energy the company extorted from her, in the name of ‘climbing the ladder’. There was no ‘ladder’. So, she put in her time, and the rest didn’t matter. She’d be passed over again, but knew now what to expect, and kept those expectations tampered down. She’d get by ‘til they caught on, but she read the writing wall, and it wasn’t favorable, so she shut it down.

Arnold was older, and perhaps a little wiser, but only by a bit. He’d kept his pencils sharp, and his papers tidy, and gave every impression of being a solid company man. But inside, he put aside the mundane pain, and went about his chores with the dulled precision of an assembly line worker. Lost in a digital sea, awash in numeric clutter, there would always be numbers, but somewhere in there, the client didn’t really matter, just the calculations. He’d lost his affinity. It frustrated him and he wondered how he got to this place, and was counting ‘the days to his pension’…that’s the only math that mattered, yet so long a wait.

On the day they met, all blustery and keen, he held the door open, and that was their start. She thanked him, demurely, and he gratefully accepted. They’d each asked for a table for one, but after some small negotiations, they settled on a table for two.

He proceeded to inquire about her life, which made her uncomfortable, at first, but with his gentle coaxing she found a willing ear, and could not shut up, nor did he want her to. They talked, long and involved, he, drawing her out of her shell. He'd even invoked some  laughter...it grew naturally, and unexpectedly. 
They talked through the lunch hour and beyond…well beyond. Enraptured by the chatter, each decided, this was a significant matter, and their job could wait. In fact, it could wait until tomorrow, because the rest of today was unexpectedly spoken for. It was so ‘spoken for’ that that afternoon was spent in, first a gallery, then a museum, followed by dinner, followed by an intimate episode, back at her place.

“The place is a mess, What will you think of me?”

“I think the sun and the moon, not the state of your room, so please…”

So please him, she did, and he, her. They’d found each other on a normal, stormy, Tuesday, out of the blue, blindsided, and suddenly the jobs didn’t matter, and life took on a new meaning.

V