he shook his head wearily

                              You kill me slay me

What?

        What would you have me do?

Say no  Whas so hard about saying no

But if you can help someon . .

. . Set precedence

Precedence? What are you talking about?

You understand precedence

                               The next time they askan they will theyll expect you to help again

An again An again

That’s not true.

It is

     How many times has it been  I don care shes a woman she has family other friends . .

. . I don’t mind.

Until the time comes when you do or when you cant

                                                       Neither will be legit then

My friend back East

Which?

         All your friends are back East. Aside from me do you have a friend here?

I do not

Not one?

No

    Im not one to seek friends Our circumstances arrived differently  I did not seek you you did not seek me  We fell in through our girlfriends

You don’t have to remind me.

No I don

           Helen

Helen. Yes.

Helens running herself ragged helping family friends Been going on for months on end Stress is getting the better of her

And for itvirtually is her inability to say no  Yours

Youre the nice guy

                    You prefer to be the knight in shining armor

Saving damsels in distress 

Distress theyve brought onto themselves

Which you know to be true

There’s nothing wrong with helping someone.

I agree

And I don’t care for you describing me a knight in silver shining armor.

I didnt say silver

                   Though I coud be a knight if I wanted

You?  No way.

    Way

           A night in a Trojan

between threefour in the afternoon,  18  8. 24

1336,  Thursday,  22  8. 24

   nope

         wasnt the three oclock in the morning telephone call that woke him

although it was shortly after three when he did

a dream badgering him

in a loop

spoken

          visualised  hand?written    named fonts

DEATH is the END

awake now

             laid in bed eyes closed

slowly the words sifted out of his eyes

                                           however remained branded on his brain

felt like he was being picked on

he eventually fell back to sleep

    DEATH is the END

                         Hey bub. Whardya go?

it leaned against a rough wood lamppost on an deserted city street corner lit in a cone of amber light

Ya ready?

toying with him

                  ready or not didnt matter

it began again

                written interspersed with audio   voices he did not recognise

it did not relent

leftie jumpedup on the bed as was her routine

rousing him he defied the austere hypnopompic throb

                                                       opened his eyes  pet her

swept it away

                except for the brand on his brain

he made his bed performed his toiletry fed cats insideanout washed their dishes made coffee dry multigrain toast picked up The Rigor of Angels a pen a clipboard went out onto the back porch to read muse

the brand continued interrupting

                                   he couldnt quit thinking about it

early that afternoon his brother-in-law called invited him over to bullshithave a beer shoot some pool

he thought maybe that would get his mind off it

living in a rural community he took the long waythe backroads the dirt an graveled roads running between wire fences woodposts barbwire hayfields pastures grazing cows sheep horses

                                                                          pastoral    quiet

he kept his speed down

The END

END

      

    An acronym

thought he heard someonesomething clear their throat

Why not  he said over that

                             and as quickly Eternal Night’s Dream

wondered if now it would cease  

desist

rapped on his brothers door

                               IT’S UNLOCKED. COME IN.

inside he found him in the kitchen prepping vegetables for beef stew

                                                                         Thought you might stay for dinner.

Thas a fine idea I might

Wanna hear something queer

Most things out of your mouth are queer.  nodded Sure.

he related the dream

                        its looping assault

Death? Really?

                  Ya couldn’t have shared a hot sex dream with me?

I don kiss an tell

                   humoured himself he laughed   he felt better

Look at you smilin’.

                      Needed to get it off your chest.  Think that’ll do it?

Well see

Care for an edible?

Don mind if I do

Sunday,  18  8. 24

1217,  Thursday,  22  8. 24

437.

Is it really fourthirtyseven sixteenthirtysevenhundredhours

                                                               Or are you fuckin with mefuckin again with time because its not tha but because the number the time nearby appeals more

You don’t believe me?

    Don play poker

                        No

Fourthirtyfour. Though I’m fond of thirtyseven.

Ignoring bookends

Bookends?

Foursplease When I ask don lietell me the real time

What’s a minut . .

. . Or two three  five

I wouldn’t go five minut . .

. . Yawoud  Please

                      I know you

Then maybe you ought to start carrying a cellphone aroun . .

. . Why Yours is an appendage port  accoutrement

You say that asif it’s a bad thing.

It is

     Youre a slave

Do wha it tells you to do

No that’s not it, some things are importan . .

. . Yes Agree  Some

                      Howbout this When I ask lets pretend youre my bagman carrying the nuclear code

Im president I woudnt be carrying the bagcarrying a phone woud I

   I woudnt

Validate me

You’re not president.

Pretending

             Pretending so I can pretend the damn thing aint an irritant

I can try.

All I can ask

               Now it is

What?

Fourthirtyseven

It is. Yes.

So you got two fourthirtysevens

I suppose I did.

Yadid

       Anit digitalised too

Digitalised?

    You need to keep up with me

                                    Your time is digitaliseddon have to read hands

I could I could, I could program my phone so it’d display time asif the face of an old time clock.

Old time

          You know all the clocks in my house have hands except for the clock on the stove

Yes.

     But when I visit I keep my phone at the ready.

Unnecessarily

                You want the time I can tell you

No thank you.

    Digitalise

What of it?

Diddle

Diddle?  What?

Finger

         Whawoudya think women woud make of diddle

I imagine finger woud occur to them

Not digitalise

What the hell are you talking about?

Evident

          Playing a little game

Game?

Give women diddle an askem wha tha reminds them of

You have to be so crude?

You think women cant be

                            Just playing a game  Diddle woud present finger

Not digitalise

    Whod wannabe digitalised

day-between-2-Ts,  21  8. 24

0045,  Thursday,  22  8. 24