he stood with two acquaintances  a fella a gal

                                                    hed ask her

he expected shed be profoundly offendedno  touched    no  maybe     offended

                                                                                         but thats what he did

unexcelled in his latter experiences

Because you don’t care.

I don

How, how can you not care?

Man youre welcome to my slack  A fuckin contortionist

                                                           You like me?   Right? you like me.  Right?

I got to ask

Oh brother. Don’t you want to ask him first?

If he wants to put in his two cents afterwards hes welcome to knock himself out

                                                                                        I presume he wont

You think I won’t?

                      Maybe I will . . to spoil your presumption

Maybe you will

                 So returning his attention to her  I found this devastating

Id not ask you without first answering myself  

                                                    Devastating

if she had spit she might have gulped

                                         What’s devastating?

She looked beautiful like an arrangement of plastic flowers in a funeral home.

Jesus.

Jah

   Jesus.

That yours?

I wish

          Rachel Kushner  The Mars Room

0945,  Saturday,  10  10. 26