bumper cars  Thawas it thaswha it looked like 

                                                  Exactly carnivals Kiddielands other amusement parks cars slinginround slammin into each other theres a reason why once a ride began no one was allowed on the floor No Gauntlets Allowed yad get your legs cut out from under ya in seconds flat 

                                                                                  Jesus Christ 

he entered the marketentered into a sudden clusterfuck of carts whirlin stoppinmidstride around the flowers stands vegetable bins pushed by people too preoccupied with themselvestheir erupting thoughts lists cellphones careening aimlessly too selfabsorbed soppywet to absorb any datum sensorynegation exceptmaybe for tinnitus deafening them one hand not knowing what the others doing   very unoctopus 

                                                                          Jesus Christ

he clutched a deepgreen coloured basketheld it like a bumper to wardoff carts pushed in one direction pushers looking in another good thing he was agile on foot he slipped between carts before they collided

it was nuts

            it wasnt even Friday the stores advertised SALES Day 

he made it safely to the aisles where traffic at least was linear ifnot as aimless some carts perpendicularperpendickular to the shelves hogging the aisle damning it cart attendants unattending off in their own little world 

                                                                                                       Excuse me all to Hell

Im just trying to live in your World he could hear Timi Yuro singing Make the World Go Away leak out of their ears 

   a pound ofNo elevenounces of coffee box of linguine pasta sixpak of beer package of everything bagels 

made CheckOut intact  

                         MISSION ACCOMPLISHED  no small feat

standing in line he cast his eye to where he entered the flowers vegetable binsChrist  looked like a beehive

1440,  2sday,  30  5. 23

1241,  day-between-2-Ts,  31  5. 23

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVcbfUWbRPA

 

   Elzi.

Letters L an Z abbreviation for names you were given but don like Otto Bob great if dyslectic theres George WhellGeorge whadaya think Georgeduh

she giggled No. Given. Parents creatives.

Not Elsieexcuse me the cow the Borden Dairy symboladvertisementcaricature

giggled again No. Z and ends with I . . like memento mori, you know memento mori?

Ofcourse memento object reminder souvenir of a person or event Mori ending with an I Latin to die verb morier mori mortuus sum or the always favouriteclassic gladiators line nos morituri te salatamus we who are going to die salute you 

     Memento mori

You know Latin?

I dabble bits and pieces

A history buff?

Am now not in schoolrequired to graduate high school don know if thawas a requirement for you so rather than suffer an entire year I did summer school six weeks five days a week eight to twelvethirty passed with a C

A C.  I never got one of those.

A D

Never got one of those.

   I got two but thawas passing Geometry physics both teachers said they had never seen a student try so hard but fail an in good conscience they couldnt fail me although freshman year junior senior got As in math physical science biology chemistry two As a Bplus wasnt stupid concepts didnt gel Geometrys too linear I don work thaway 

                                                                                                                  Not Elyse

No, though it’s a pretty name. Elzi. E L Z I. 

they met on a cross country bus he didnt see her get onwouldnt have missed her

couple hours later the bus stopped for a breaksaw her she saw him    

after two state lines she approached him in a diner on route dinner break driver swap

   Excuse me, would it be okay if I sat an ate with you?

he stood too quickshe laugheddidnt cover her mouth exposed deep dimples 

Yahsure please 

               he extended his hand Joe 

she set her foodtray on the table took his I’m Elzi.

their trip ended in Seattle she sat beside him the final states was returning to U W for her senior year he was visiting his daughter

he carried hisher onboard bags off the bus then gathered their other bags from its belly a classmate was coming to collect her he was taking transfers local buses to meet his daughter at work had told her not to lose time his was unencumbered

he carried their bags to the street before the transit station

                                                              My ride should be here in twenty minutes. 

My bus goeshmmwha time is it 

she looked at her wristwatch Crazy eleveneleven . I love this tim . .

. . Stop  ya kiddin me my daughter an I text it if either of us catch it he went for his cellphone inside his jacket

Eleventwelve.

Nuts 

Goodness, that disappointing? 

I cant tell ya the times Ive seen it an then Im late

Eleventwelve.

A sinister time if ever there was

   You’re a piece of work.

Thank you        

a car hornsounded was directed at them

Elzi looked My ride. she turned to him It’s my ride.

Your rides here

It is.

Oh

Uhoh.

he smiled 

           Im gonna miss ya he hugged her hardshe hugged him back they leanedaway still in one another arms it was awkwardhe thought rawawkwardness  I want to kiss you 

I want you to kiss me

it was a deep kiss 

a soulful kiss

car horn 

still kissing 

   car horn                 

still kissing 

horn

they came up out of the warmestblue to breath

I think my boyfriends upset with me.

Your boyfriend  

                You didnt say

   Would you believe me if I said I forgot?

Yes

I forgot. That’s your fault.

AM,  Twosday,  30  5. 23

1256,  Twosday

Kahrist 

         that crap always got his attentiontugged on the rag of his ire particularly when they couldnt back into a parking space cleanlywasting other peoples time with their ineptness

                                                                  But hey, the World revolves around me. 

Ill revolve you 

               he caught the calamity out of the corner of his eye as he walked and readlifting his eyes to glancetake in the lay of the land

                   some yahoo in a late-model silver Subaruknew that only because a couple of family members had sipped the KoolAidwent away from Toyota was making a showtrying to park it screwed it up so badly that people waiting in either direction began honking their horns he rarely honked histhe sound rasped at his nerves rather than honk he preferred a rocket launcher but that upgrade wasnt available yet 

                                                            had he been waiting on this schmo from Yiddish shmok penis fool prick hedave rocketed him

he stopped walkingput his finger in the book to keep his place

he waitedwanted to see this cretin for Real get out of the clown car 

   PARKed

 

            the traffic jam in the lot quickly cleared

whoever  sat tight  likely fearful someone might be lingering to brain them

   finally they got out an walked around the front of the SubaruHOLY SHIT spitting image of Birtman a kid he knew in grade school  I’m Zeke, Zeke Fellows. thats how he introduced himself  turns out they were in the same classroom  David, David Birtman.   Here.  

                                 the guy walked the same way splayfootedduckfooted it was a crime to see David try to run pitiful he couldnt run for his life   probably why he ate his old mans service revolver put an exclamation on what a piece of shit Davids old man was a cop nonetheless   a cop

   the Desk Sergeant lived next door to a friend 

they were friendlyplayed catch in his buddys backyard when his dad threw a barbecue 

playing ball couplethree months later after Davids suicide he casually pumped him  where the old man livedheard he lived in a neighbouring city   No no, in order to serve ya have to live in the community. He’s over off Home, can’t miss the place, has a black lawn jockey holding a lantern to light the walk leading to the front door.   

Know it  

Yeah, kinda hard to miss.

a big tan brick house bucks  somebody croaked for him to afford it

he hid in bushesin the backyard saw headlights play on the doublewide garage doors he didnt usually park it inside unless it was inclement weather didnt lock it either as he walked around behind the car towards the back door where he hidtossed a rockstruck the garage old man turned to the noisehe was on himstink on shitsideswiped the back of his head with a stump iron pipe old man went down in a heapCOLD no harm nothing inside his head anyways he broke his legs an for the fuck of itfor David he broke his hand too he wouldnt run David down wouldnt beat David 

   he wished David had said

queer to have suppressed memories return stare him dead in the face

   doppelganger duckwalked into the market

he began walkingtook his finger from between the pages an began reading again through an evaporating image of Davids face as he remembered him                     

1500,  reggaefriday,  26  5. 23

1228,  Monday – Memorial Day,  29  5. 23

not comfortingNo  not at all 

                             not that he was looking for comfort it rolledup on him abruptly 

thats what reading and walking flung at his feet 

                                                    not that hed tripfall over it was agile like a cat

the paragraph concluded 

                           “Every step traverses death.” 

OHthank you Cormac McCarthy 

his book The Passenger 

                         “Every step . . .” isnt a thing to read while walking 

he knew

plenty of miles have passed underfoot with scarcely a stumble catching his toe

incredulous How do you do that?!

short answer Practise

long story only literature was allowed in his parents home not comicbooksHardy Boys ducked a bullet only literature 

James Baldwins Another Country did not prove to be literature anif a black writer wasnt at home in his parents house 

fuckNO science fiction 

                       so he kept paperbacks in the garage that his dad wouldnt keep his car in because he thought itd fall any day

              an rather than riding his bicycle to a friends he grabbed a canvas bag – as he uses today – tossed books in it to read going an returning

practise makes perfect

he wasnt perfect

but every book he learned was banned he sought a copy and read 

                                                                       they have formed who he is 

an he is untroubled offending anyone because few have the depth an breadth of his unbridledfreed reading experience

   obscenities have made him the man he is today

1510,  Sunday,  28  5. 23

2023,  Sunday

En Vogue  Free Your Mind  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7iQbBbMAFE

he climbed back into bed as gently as he could so he wouldnt wake her  he woke her

sonofabitch 

            her mind once kickstarted went millionmiles an hourthings coursedflung through it through her big beautiful questing braintoo sharp for her own good  was tough to curbto quiet its inertia

Huhwha . what?   Ssssh sorry baby go back to sleep   What . . what’sah . ahwrong?   Nothinbaby   Whaatswrong . you okay?   Yes close your eyes go back to sleep Ill rub your fanny until ya do   Sumptin’s wrong.   Got the night trots thasall   Nitrous?   he chuckled Wheres tha from No love night trots   Nitrous. Oxide. Tha’s funnyyou okay?   I am he suppressed laughing she was killing him   Why nitrous oxide?   Not tha night trots shouldnt have had the hot Italian sausage but I know you like them 

he started rubbing her backher fanny Ssssh go back to sleep Ill tell you in the morning

Morning.

Yes in the morning baby

In the morning.

   Yes 

her breathing became deeprhythmic

 

                                            Motherfuck  another nitrous

AM,  Saturday,  27  5. 23

                                                               1137,  Sunday,  28  5. 23

wetter the better went off the rails

Is tha a thing 

              then in his head he heard his daughter mock him Whenever you wonder if something’s a thing Papa . . it’s a thing. 

Jesus 

       looked it up  Yah

though he knew it by another name embalmed specimen  his high school biology teachercant remember his name offhand   aahMr. Demarestknew itd kick in kept specimens in an humongous glass an oak display case he taught at the same Chicago school in the same classroom for better than forty yearsrumoured since the school was built in 1915 students taking horse and wagons to get there  

   wet preservation 

like a gleefully little girl Preetty!  patting her hands together in excitement 

its different when the earthling curled inside the glass or an organ isnt a scientific specimen but a pet

Roy Rogers had his golden palomino Silver stuffed his german shepherd Bullet too  his wife Dale Evans survived him likely compelledincentivised by the fact he might have her stuffed

   No

         he didnt want that for indie

particularly since hed be dry ashes in an urn

0954,  Sunday,  28  5. 23

https://www.mickeyalicekwapis.com/blog/2015/9/10/wet-specimens-a-general-guide

https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/3642

Theresa the waitress took their orders

he hadnt been to a restaurant in a goodly while and was far more interested in talking with friends who he hadnt seen in years than looking through the menu

one deviated from her usual didnt order the breakfast burrito 

                                                                      so he did 

Theresa one thing please could you ask the kitchen to make the eggs as wet as possible  To understand I usually eat eggs raw

Raw? he could see her stomach flip in her face

Yes thas a tell  Ask the cook to cook them as little as possible 

                                                                  Howbout this refrain  The wetter the better

his galpal sitting beside him rapped him in the ribs 

                                                      You really just say that? 

Theresa straightened up smirked 

                                   The wetter the better.

he yesd Theresa an to his cohort I did  True yah

Oh my God.

Theresa smiled at her He took the words out of my mouth.

Quit girls were talkinbout my eggsjust talkinbout how I like my eggs  Wet

Right. they rolled their eyeslaughed together

the gal across the table was clueless 

                                       What's this all about? 

How I prefer my eggs

Yeah. sarcastically How he likes his eggs.

Ya really gotta say it like tha

So how did you order your eggs?

Wet

Ugh.

I second her ugh.

An neither one of you are eating my burrito

                                             Be grateful I didnt order eggs sunnyside up Theresa  make sure they jiggle when you walk 

they looked at one another

The eggs jiggle while Theresa walks

almost over each other Well . . she certainly has plenty to jiggle had you ordered sunnyside up

She certainly do

                 Though Id hate like hell to tip her in the manner or place Id tip a stripper

OH MY GOD!

Ladies  Churchgoers   Each better hit up the confessional Sunday

noon,  Thursday,  25  5. 23

1939,   Saturday,  27  5. 23

euphemistically 

                  he was thinking

in reality

            he was sitting on the pot

one can think or can read

likely fourfive in the morning his second trot

Shaddup Lemealone

Let you aloneO Hell  NO 

                           We woke youinterrupted youyour lucid dreaming so ya didnt soil the bed  Say thank you 

Thank you 

            Though you had a hand in this

NO  No

        You chose to eat hot Italian sausage whichya know doesnt agree with your system thas on you  Quis custodiet ipsos custodes 

Not now 

Yes  Now

           Juvenal Roman poet  not how yare acting  Juvenile 

I knowI know it Who will guard the guards themselves

Was is up to you 

                  Our job when you violate your tenet is not to stop you but have your back when notif things go awry 

Wake you so you dont shit the bed  You are welcome 

he shook his head   it was hot not pleasant Thank you 

                                                           I did hear yas muttering 

Yes Yare a big boy Accountable 

                                  We giggled when you crossed your fingers an thought Mebbe not this time We love your fatal optimism

I ought to listen to myself  I do know better

You do 

       However we understand your    sometimes cruel  gaming

I know better

Until the next time 

   Yah 

           Is a bit of a game

Thas awright got your back  Were game too

AM,  Saturday,  27  5. 23

1215,  Saturday

Absolute crawledup his partners – not tha way! – crawledup his partners ass  didnt fit well with his  temptinghuh didnt fit in well with his worldview 

he argued with him When I talk to you Im talkin to you Im not talkin to this creature tha takes it upon himself to defendspeak for the world If I want the worlds opinion Ill ask it

How are you going to do that?

Ive no ideabut I woud be more comfortable tryin to determine a way than have you step forth an be its spokesman Capeesh

           I don know Polish for understand

Czy rozumiesz

Wow Howstha spelled

C Z Y  R O Z U M I E S Z.

Crazy 

         You understand tha Im askin your opinion not the wordsopinions as they occurs to you in your mind

Just yours

I think we’d . .

. . No no no  You are not a we

                                 Speak only for yourself  whafuns tha

Perfect?

Yes

Does perfect have to beJesus . . absolute?

Thas wha I asked

   I’d suppose perfect would . . . be . . .

I understand Capeesh  Czy rozumiesz   Its hard for you

he cleared his throat I suppose perfect . . would be an absolute.

   I disagree 

You’re disagreeing with me the king of absoluteabsolutely!

   Yah

he sneeredwasnt pretty What would supersede perfect?

Superperfect  Uberperfect  Urperfect 

Fuck you . . you fucking with me?

No Im no salesman but I thinkI believe theyd keep tha in their toolchest Everything can be more than it is 

                                                                                                                A gimmick

Absolutely a gimmick 

Why do I talk to you?

So your thinking evolves 

                           I unearth you from your tedious little rut 

My rut? 

Rut It runs deep an wide

                            My purpose is to provide you a handup a different way of lookin at things disgorge you from the box you residestew in 

Yare welcome

357preferred, Twosday,  23  5. 23

1336,  reggaefriday,  26  5. 23

she slept in woke late 

   no she didnt

she dreamed late

                  she could have gotten up twothree times but she didnt get enough  she wanted more

 

after attending her animals she made coffee 

                                                cup in hand she leaned against the kitchen counter 

she thought I hope when I die its one long dream

1023,  Reggaefriday,  26  5. 23

Remember the old shell an pea game 

                                             he did 

sidewalk hustlers carnival huckstersbarkers  Tunnel of Love it aint 

NOW 

       the Former the phony the fraud the LIAR chubby fingers et al  has decided to play the shell pea game with the FEDs move documents around  play hideanseek 

one of the shells

                   his deskHIS DESK                      

so savvy 

            chucklechuckle  chuckle They wont look there

an audaciously submits I am running for President of the United States  

                                                                              huckster

                                                                               grifter 

                                                                               fraud

                                                                                liar

   the only thing he vote for him to do is to turn it  Off

603preferred,  Thursday,  25  5. 23

2137,  Thursday

The Music Man  Ya Got Trouble  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2ySBtVLCYA

former  https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/05/25/trump-employees-moved-papers-ahead-of-fbis-mar-a-lago-search-report-says/?sh=3d2dd3b01ca6

Rhodes  https://www.npr.org/2023/05/25/1178116193/stewart-rhodes-oath-keepers-verdict

Nebraska Representative Don Bacon “argued in no uncertain terms that (Republicans are) entitled not only to pursue dramatic spending cuts, but also to threaten our collective well-being in pursuit of far-right goals.”

   taking a step back 

                         Mr Bacons oath “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States (14th Amendment) against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion (George Santos); and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.” 

Bacon was elected in 2016 – maybe winning three terms he knows it rote and therefore does not understand what the words mean  

I do not believe within our Constitution it is written representatives are entitled “to pursue drastic spending cuts, but also to threaten our collective (financial) well-being in pursuit of far-right goals” over the full faith and credit of the United States 

either someone is in office to help better the American Project or they are there for the selfish betterment of themselves     

1603,  Thursday,  25  5. 23

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/house-dems-discharge-petition-clears-one-hurdle-go-rcna86255?cid=eml_maddow_20230525&user_email=e4c91d00eead6d858374885584701152a02c6d873bb23bf387b4583a289e5951&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=TRMS%205/25/23&utm_term=Rachel%20Maddow%20Show

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/republican-line-debt-ceiling-negotiations-doesnt-work-rcna67448

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/debt-ceiling-fight-dem-equates-gop-economic-terrorists-rcna86414?cid=eml_maddow_20230526&user_email=e4c91d00eead6d858374885584701152a02c6d873bb23bf387b4583a289e5951&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=TRMS%205/26/23&utm_term=Rachel%20Maddow%20Show

 

he kicked his ass in 8-ball three straight games  little competition

                                                                      Howbout we play 9-ball you fare better at it 

I could play 9-ball.

Thas wha well do I rack you break

No no his voice lilted feeling confident had been really competitive no, you clobbered me fair and square, you break.

Ifya insist

he rocked the rack

sank the 9-ball 

                 Rack em 

What?

Sank the 9

he was dumbfounded

Right corner pocket

he walked over  stared into it 

                                 I’ll be a son-of-a-bitch.  

Later lets play some 9-ball 

                             Rack em

he broke again dropped two took the 1 the 3 4 toohard banged around between the point got spat out

he picked up the 4 screwed the pooch on the 6 

                                                 Dammit!

Ya rushed it 

You think?

             Thankfully I didn’t set you up.

Yadid

What?

I can play the 6 off the side up the table an back  play it into 9 in the corner

You don’t have to call your shot.

I want you to know wha Im attempting 

                                         When it falls you wont think I was luckyit was slop

Fine. I’d bet against you.

Youd lose Be happy Im not a betting man 

                                                 For the time being 

Son-of-a-bitch!

Thawas a sweet shot 

                       Your fault though 

My fault?

Yah Yare playing reggae I always shoot better when ya play reggae

You’re crediting the music?

I am 

      I gotta say  after my wife died four years later  some of the best times I had was dancing by myself intimate venues reggae concerts  I turned my kids onto it

What? That makes no sense.

So  I told you somethingmakes no sense

                                            Yare an idiot  Rack em up

1800,  Twosday,  23  5. 23

636preferred,  day-between-2-Ts,  24  5. 23

Billy Idol  Dancing By Myself  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG1NrQYXjLU

Bruce Springsteen  Dancing in the Dark  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=129kuDCQtHs