it was gonna grate gonna badger him til he fessed up
itd been two days
he was holding out hope even if
he knew better
the remnant leaftatters in the
apricot tree taunted him
walking through the Community Churchs
parking lot the oldest church in town he saw a push-button black ballpoint pen
laying there
he didnt have to bend over to see
it was empty carelessly thrown away churchgoersJesus
it was as empty as bugs web
since appleseeds second suicide
attempt hed grown lax
she stayed put in her web
bugs wasnt fool enough to venture
over above the vanity mirror to her corner
not with heads on pikes
he crossed above the window to
the tub
as he showered eyes closed to the
spray he turned
opening his eyes latently the hot
shower on his back his bad shoulder he saw at his feet a thin dark cluster
a tangle of hair he thought
as it rushed on the water
between them he thought differently
appleseed collapsed in on herself
too
he bent quickly and damned its
way with his index finger
it caught
as he stood water cascaded down
his arm and washed it off
it rushed headlong towards the
drain
he spun in time to see it
deadhead into the drain
hair he thoughthe hoped
hair
shower finished he killed the
water opened the curtain grabbed a towel off the wall hook and began drying off
standing cranestyle he dried one
foot
he set it down on the bathmat
cranestyle he dried his other foot
then and only then did he take a gander into bugs
corner
it was empty
he twitched
he spied appleseed in hers
no newlyspun body
bugs suicided Gawddamn!
Let down your guard and something
awful happens when was he gonna learn
Be vigilant
Always vigilant
cost him his bookendGawddamn!
confessions are good for the soul
if you believe that horseshit
1422, Day-between-Two-Ts, 14 12.
16
