A ragged hitchhiker roadside

A red Porsche convertible roadside

A dead dog  -  Irish Setter  -  twisted and bloodied in the middle of the road

A bitch of a place  a blind curve

A bitch of a place not to have a leash no matter ones opinion if a dog should be troubled or not

A bitch of a place to play fetch  

Bitched                                                                                                                                             

the hitchhiker stood transfixed roadside  his arms spun from his shoulders            

electric antennae broadcasting horror venom and spleen                                                     

his jaw working threats out of his distended features and grime                                    

behind him  askew  his flaccid tattered pack and flimsy bedroll

the Porsche was angled onto the scant dirt and graveled shoulder                                  

slick creamed paths were its tires skid                                                                           

there was no evident or discernible damage on its drivers side                                                      the driver sat erect                                                                                                                 

turned on his hip                                                                                                                            

his right arm extended                                                                                                    

fingers winding around and worrying the bright metal brace supporting the passenger seats headrest                                                                                                                     

observing the magnificent agitation unleashed at him                                                    

its froth and ejected spittle                                                                                                

its contorted chomping black maw

I felt badly for the dog   and easily visualized either man dead in the road

                                              

and as I watched through my rearview mirror on the ensuing straightaway                  

the Porscher dispassionately accelerated into traffic                                                                            either at a loss of what he could do         

or fatigued by the violent berating    

he couldnt possibly hear                                                                                                     

I cringed                                                                                                                             

the Porsches right headlight was a popped bloodied empty socket

    

1504,  Thursday,  10  4. 14

Pledge

“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America . . . ”

that was his by birthright

by practise

by memory

by rote

enforced by childhood in school  and preceding

                                                                            “ . . under God . . ”

when God was jimmied in  jerry-rigged

                                                              it didnt come out of his mouth at morning recital 

before instruction began                                                                                            

standing beside his desk                                                                                             

turned to face the flag                                                                                                      

his hand upon his heart

he was secular before he knew what secular was

he knew God belonged in Church                                                                                                  

and this was school                                                                                                          

if you wanted to pray to God                                                                                               

go to Church                                                                                                                       

besides  what God would settle for a pledge

therefore                                                                                                               

steadfastly                                                                                                                        

he remained true and loyal to the Way he was taught

apparently  -  obscenely  -   according to a succession of teachers  -  he refused to budge

it seemed to him an arithmetic equation  as simple as 1+1=2

“under God” would weight one side of the equation and throw it out of kilter               

and from the front pages of the newspapers he delivered on his route he was already 

gathering America was doing and not doing things he believed it shouldnt have or 

should have done

America was not representative of him                                                                          

and as he grew older it only grew worse

YES!                                                                                                                           

America seemed better than almost every other country in the World                       

although he had never lived anywhere else

YET                                                                                                                                            
he believed it could be far better than it was . . .

                                                                       and if someone asked him his opinion
he had a simple reply:

                                      “Lose God”

1544,  Thursday,  10  4. 14