Sprinters  To your mark

she rolled her eyes

                  Are you talking to me? 

I am

         Im about to go off briefly

    You’re warning me.

But a wee interruption

    Okay. I’ve been warned.

                                   Whacha got?

Meek creed screed weak seed

                                   Es E

Easy?

Jah

        Was gifted me

Who’d gift that?

 

Me  When the gun sounded the words rancross the insides of my eyelids

                                                                                Im sharin so not to suffer alone

You want me to make something of . . . how’s that again?  Meek . . . something  something something

Something

              Meek creed screed weak seed

    It does make sense when you think about it

Closed my eyes

 

Then across your eyelids?

Not quite Eyes closed black swimmers simmer blacker strands swirl dance  dissipate breathing through my nose falling to sleep aware Im falling perturbations plumes erupt  subside

                                                                                       Sprinters on your mark

Get set    

Go Theyre off

    Meek, creed, screed, weak, seed.

Jah

    They make sense.

0655,  Saturday,  13  6. 26

1414,  reggaefriday,  14  8. 26

one thing irritated him about Ohboy

                                      alias boyohboy buddyboy  occasionally boyohboybuddyboy buddyboyboyohboy

Ohboy

           when he perturbed him

    his predilection for rumour

for a guy who cant tell a story of his own  he hears one  typically salacious

                                                                                    cant wait to tell someone

happened Tuesday

he was over at Ohboys for coffee later afternoon drinks  Nineball pool

Ohboys iPhone rang

glanced  I got to take this, I’m sorry.

Knock yourself out I got pen paper  Ill entertain myself

                                                              he began a letter to his Dad

those letters were laborious

he had to quiet his hand had to print crisply distinct  or his fatherunable to read what he wrote would throw it away without reading

he followedup his letters with phone calls

asked if there was anything in the letter he asked questions of him he cared to talk about

Nothing comes to mind, son. always called him son rarely by name

 

Nothing

    Nothing.

halfway through the letter Ohboy wandered over to the picnic table he moved to across the yard to provide him privacy he missed enclosed telephone booths  Get Smarts Cone of Silence and began walking up-to and around the table  speaking loud

                         which his writing muted

he finished the letter before Ohboy finished talking

                                                       maybe five minutes

Cielo. The guy’s a character.

Youve said

He’s involved in this crazy relationship I’m sure he wouldn’t mind me sharin . .

. . I woud

              The man talked to you in confidence

He confided in you

You understand

 

Its a secret

Secrets are sacred Im singlehandedlyrobbin the church of sacred  Sacredness

Cielo woud probably want you to keep the conversation between the two of you

I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.

I imagine you understand this is how rumours begin

                                                            Callim

Askim

I’m not calling him.

Then were good

                   Thanks  Ya bought me enough time to write a letter to my Dad

1550,  Tuesday,  11  8. 26

1154,  reggaefriday,  14  8. 26

You can disagree because it is obviously disagreeable to you, but, yeah, you are.

Jah

       No Im not

I’m afraid you are. You only need accept it, or, if unwilling, accept that some people find that you are.

Whos some people Theyd be mistaken

You’re being a pain in the ass.

                                  You express opinions.

We all do.

I have my opinion  However

                                Tha does not make me an opinion writer

When writing the newspaper the editor of the Letters section perusesem an decides whether or not to publishem because   theyre letters

    What caused you to write those you have?

Letters tha were published

You wrote because you disagreed with their viewpoint . . . their opinion.

Because I disagreed

With their opinion.

Their ignorance

    Ignorance?

                    Which is your opinionIm getting the better part of this argumen . .

. . Discussion

    This isn’t an argument?

Semantics

Excuse me, that’s my line.

You were late to it

                        I have opinions

I am not tryin to convince anyone Im not tryin to influence anyone

                                                                      Im simply expressing wha I believe

An opinion writerlike an attorney tries to manipulate whoever hears reads their evidence  their summation

Im not doing tha

 

Howbout this?

                    You think you’re not doing that.

Its not my intention

If it were

Id agree with you

1958,  Thursday,  13  8. 26

1054,  reggaefriday,  14  8. 26