she tried to remember where they
were
he
was being pigheaded
they
were dressed well
probably
why he was rude
he
was all trussed-up and when he was trussed-up he had to favor-up be polite
watch his P and Qs which he usually
bandied about carelessly because he didnt mind defending his stake in the game
he never minded a little blood bruising or the discomfort and days of sidelong glances
at his black and blue eye
he never had to say You ought to see the other guys
the
way he carried himself suggested as much
where were they she wondered
she wondered because he had dismissed
em
tagged em knowtions worthless an stupid he always flipped words hard on their heads to
see what came out of their ears
she had discussed it with him
asked him his take on preconceived
notions
he responded bitterly Biases
Prejudices he said it was as much as standing outside a
door an thinkin you know whats on the other side
she ran his words through her
head
if
she stood before a house in a
hallway or outside a bathroom she might assume what was contained within
by considering the door
its
art or prefabrication
the
shape or material of its knob or handle
considering what was visual and tangible
what
she could actually touch
but what was behind it he cautioned abruptly
she could not know
--- Its a broom closet youve decided
and opening the door its a descending
stairwell
--- It is a bedroom
you open it and a dark man stands
just inside its jamb and stabs you in the guts with the butcherknife that had
gone missing from the kitchen discovered
while the dishes were being washed and things put away where they belong
a
place for everything and everything in its place
Wheres the knife
Wheres the knife
--- Its a lavatory door the nap on the runner compressed to suggest
repeated traffic in and out
opening it you stand at a sudden
precipice gripped by the wash and draft of a twisting marblelit wormhole churning
begging you to have your time-travel
--- Its a studio
and opening it you find it is an
exit to the out-of-doors
no matter the hints or clues or
evidence
not until the doors are opened is
the thing(she almost thought the true
thing --- but it
could be a lying thing) is the thing revealed(apparent)
and before it
all the time spent
the consternation or worry
all the time spent
the consternation or worry
Preconceived
Biased
Prejudiced
(as he said irritated)
is for naught
then comes the onslaught
those horrible acknowledgments(however
true) that she tried not to utter in his presence foment his ire
It is what it is
or
Whatever
or
Its all good(it never is)
which phrase by phrase cut him
like queer deliberate papercuts pure
white clean leaves
pulled
slowly across his fingertips or wrist or cheeks
and
the rise of bile as they sliced his skin
knowtions ---
not at all
1204, Friday,
5 2. 16
