. . . has left the building

perhaps the standard understanding  Elvis

he understands it as anyone whos died

the building

               their body

the reminder left behind

no lurking

              but

Whaif one coud lurk

keep to a closet

hide in an attic

                  in the basement

a lot of people wont look in the former two

                                                         creepy

he grewup in a late eighteenhunreds house that had both 

it had been the farmhouse on an enormous tract of land

hed seen pictures of it  standing alone

no outbuildings

surrounded by prairie

likely in the faded ghostydistance were the fields

if they were they were out of focus

a tree wasnt to be seen

                             absence of evidence is not evidence of absence

obscene absence

his family moved into the housethe neighbourhood early Sixties

concrete streets curbs at the corners of the blocks overhead lamps though they were punctuated by empty lots  For Sale signs posted

by the time he was in high school they were sold  homes built on them

the prairies which is what the kids called them  on them young trees grew and they built forts to play in 

he was ambitious stole lumber from constructions devised and built tree forts

they were cool

then lots were split

half their forts went sidewise  consumed

then remaining forts were dismantled

                                         watching he laughed bitterly  dismantled with extreme prejudice

he believed the men who bulldozed them excavated the earth dug basements erected forms snaked with rebar poured concreteKNEW   knew  what they destroyed

no brick basements like his houses

they were lurking

playing hide n seek

No one’s looking for us.

It’s too early to say.

No one is.

You don’t know that.

I don’t hear anyone.

Shush.

Has anyone heard someone call Olly olly oxen free.

Shush, please.   Anyone smell chemicallysmells?

Chemicals?

Yes. Formaldehyde, phenoxyethanol, ethyl alcohol?

No.

Anyone smell natural or liquefied petroleum gas?

No.

No one’s lookin . .

. . Shush.

              Smell alkaline?

What?

Smells like soap.

No. Why?

Aquamation.

Oh God.

SHUSH.

No one’s looking for us.

   Maybe someone will.

When.

Let’s hope soon.

 

   he believed theyre there

                               wed be enlightened if we sought them out gave them a little more time

if we werent frightened by death

2053,  Saturday,  16  12. 23

2330,  Saturday,  16  12. 23

watching Inside with Jen Psaki

beginning at 13:20 minute-mark:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwoWTOH1elQ

seemed to him that all FOX contributors and House Republicans need do  their scripts written for them by the former presidents words and actions  is think of and regurgitate them BUT assign them to President Biden and his family   

ITS CALLED PROJECTION

theyre henchmen

1218,  Sunday,  17  12. 23

he imaginedhe laughed  stopped on the streetlaughing with abandon

                                                                            sometimes he tickled himself too much

was walkingreading Greenwalts Remnants of Ancient Life

page seventyone

                   “ . . . fossils depicting behavior . . . A beautiful specimen from the Eocene Messel site in Germany portrays two 50-million-year-old turtles, Allaeochels crassesculpta let tha sink in  crass in copula.”YAY

Yay

      Why yay

Ya kiddin me

No Thas an amazin find

   It is

         Found in the throes of coitus

You laughed

I did

Whadidya find so funny

Youre interior Ya didnt see

I mustnt have been paying attention

Hilarious

Wha

   I hate explaining a joke but  but   yasaid ya didnt see

I didnt

Awright

         Two Allaeochels crassesculpta in copula  coitus   Follow me

Like a bloodhound

Christ

         Givin yourself too much credit Im having to explain . .

. . I said I didnt see . .

. . Yah Ya didnt see

                      Two turtles fucking

Oshit  Your Dad

her fathers stony stare

Hey man Your daughters gettin her rocks off too

Killsem midstroke  crawlinaway a volcanic wavelava sweeps over them

                                                                              They havent unearthed the old man yet

Thas funny

Thas a riot

Sick

I didnt expose em Carnal turtles

                                   Bunch of paleobiologists pullin their puds pokinrubbin their clits

Gawd bless em

Funny

   Youre ridiculous

Im providing cover

                    Couldnt leave em be In copula  Fucking   Wonever find you in kind

Man thas hittin below the belt   

1330,  Saturday,  16  12. 23

1850,  Saturday

this shit tickles him just keeps getting better and better  fingerpointing like children

https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/report-criticizes-white-house-for-hiring-relatives-of-administration-members/

pull-quote: “Ethics lawyers sat it isn’t as egregious as former . . . having his daughter and son-in-law serve as senior advisors, but also say it’s no excuse.”

conveniently forgotten “I have no recollection of that matter.” “No, I do not remember anything regarding the matter you’ve asking about.” “On the advice of my counsel, respectfully, I am taking the Fifth.”

https://www.americanoversight.org/investigation/ivanka-trumps-role-in-the-administration

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jared-kushner-security-clearance-white-house/

Carl Kline  installed as Security head by Trump to determine Kushners clearance:  https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/officials-rejected-jared-kushner-top-secret-security-clearance-were-overruled-n962221

hmm  how many privately-owned companies corporations hire employ nepotism to place family friends individuals in jobs that they actually have no reasonable experience to perform

                                                                      thinking outloud

1248,  Sunday,  17  12. 23

Merry Christmas.

Happy Holidays

What?   You can’t say Merry Christmas?

   You cant say Happy Holidays

It’s Christma . .

. . To Christians

   It’s Ameri . .

. . And its multidenominational

                                  Christmas Chanukah Kwanzaa sneak Boxing Day in there

It's Christmas. Merry Christmas.

Right back atcha

But you won’t say it.

You have

But you won’t.

No

You oughta be ashamed of yoursel . .

. . Because Ogolly   Im white

                                   Im respectful though not willing to kowtow to Christ

   It’s Christmas.

Knock yourself out

1405,  Saturday,  16  12. 23

1810,  Saturday

Bing Crosby  It’s Beginning to Look Like Christmas  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3vMisNaqd8

he went outside to take a leak water the poppies  theyd appreciate it

                                                                             theyre wild like him

inside he left a couple of buddies playing cutthroat

they cut his throat

he was waiting for one to scratchlotsa balls on the table odds were good hed be back in rotation

waiting decided to tap a kidney

he was high

              stood on a short stone wallpissed into the mischief of poppies weeds scratchedearth anthills particledslivered shale lizards scrambled stopped to watch a couple of rosebushes needing pruning leaned in away from a verticalplanked unpainted wood fence

occurred to him as he emptied that in conversation he could politicise anythingsexualise it  hmmm   but what about religion one of the three nonono tenets ones not supposed to bringup in polite company

if he was in its amidst no way itd be polite

hmmm  Churchy  Wha

                           hed ask inside

Guys

You’re back in the game.

Yah Knew it

How could you?you were outside taking a leak

Im playingainst two clowns

Hey!

Nah no hey If Im shooting again someone scratched

Tablescratched. Missed every ball on the table.

   Clowns As I said  So

So?

Yah If I can politicise sexualise conversations

                                                 Whas the term tha implies religion

Religion?

   Yah

         Yaknow I have a hardon for itnot proselytize  Doesnt fit

I would have said proselytize too.

Yah

     Nah

the other shrugged

as he said Clowns

                      I was considering religisize capitalS I Z E  Because I believe religious men have little peckers little dog attitudes   But religisize doesnt cut it

like an assembled choral group they chimed No fuckin’ idea. Wouldya shoot.

 

later thanight at home it still begged

                                 Nah Spiritualise didnt cut it either he sighed

Whadafuck

1613,  Reggaefriday,  15  12. 23

1733,  Saturday,  16  12. 23

It was art. He gave you an F?

Yah It was understood I understood

What was to understand?

The kite had to fly If it didnt Id fail that quarter

Your kite didn’t fly?

Oh no no way in hell it was gonna fly but it was   it was lovely sinuous had different coloured paper looked like bullet fins kindalike a rocketship   but not

Sounds like it was artistic.

It was Very

And the class was art.

An it didnt fly

An F?

Yah It was worth it

                     Freaked my Dad outhe said How the hellya get an F in Art?

When I got an F Winter quarter high school PE he almost shit againhad to remind him of Seventh Grade Ar . .

. . Wait.  Physical Education?

Yah

You got an F in gym?

Yah

How’d you do that?

It was gymnastics I didnt like gymnastics

                                             So I went up to the gym teachertold him Id be in the gymnasium shooting hoops

He let you?

Yah He knew mewas my backfield coach football tha Fall

And you got an F?

I did Class was gymnastics not basketball

So, it wasn’t that you didn’t care to do it, rather you couldn’t.

No  I could

            Howbout this I didnt like gymnastics so I didnt care to do it

Thas a drop-the-mike moment

I gotta go

Catcha later

1650,  Reggaefriday,  15  12. 23

1136,  Saturday,  16  12. 23

. . . you ought to write me a letter. he said into the phone

Ive written you lots an lots of times

Write me another.

Forwha purpose

I’m only get trash mail, flyers, bills. It’d be nice to get a, get a letter.

I imagine I know the feeling

So you’ll write me?

Ill write you back

That’s not what I meant.

I know whaya meant

   So you’ll not write me.

Thasnot wha I said  was it

   No.

No

Would a postcard count?

It would

Cool. I can do that.

                     I’d get a letter in return?

Whad I say

Sweet.  Listen, I gotta run. We’ll talk soon.

Howbout you call me next time too

I can do that.

Do it

        Be cool

You too man, you too. Bye. 

1022,  Saturday,  16  12. 23

Joe Cocker  Letter  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMtQQ1EfcPQ 

they knocked him for his routine

                                   be it family friends strangers overhearing joined in

What a lousy routine.

                        or

You ought to break that like a bad habit.

he appreciated their unsolicited  concern

though he had a response a quip he liked quips werent a dime a dozen

                                                                          Your breathing Oughta knock tha off

routine

        wasnt a bad thingmade his bed every morningHell he even made his bed before going out to deliver his two paper routes

              did them for ten years through his freshman year of college

which at that time exceeded half his life

his routine was stone

he found that people broke themselves trying to break his determination they didnt care for his assertiveness his thoroughness

               like their agitation would make him quit

once he got his jaws on someones throat there was no shaking him

which he believed an admirable quality

his old man would say Ifya look up assertiveness in the fucking dictionary he rarely used fucking except to drive home a point you’ll find his picture in with the definition.   He gets it from his mother. 

he smiled he liked the thought of being in the dictionary

routine evidenced his singlemindedness

                                           even if others that had stood with him cowered or walkedaway he wouldnt

it wasnt courage

when ones right 

they had to be steadfast determined

                                         routine assisted

That’s not the hill to die on. family and friends cautioned  

to wit hed reply If not tha hill Which

                                        Every hill is a hill to die on

his rationale

              standing on top the heap ones difficult to defeat

Knock on wood hed rap his skull with his knuckles

So far So good

0829,  Reggaefriday,  15  12. 23

High Noon,  Reggaefriday,  15  12. 23

Sheena Easton  So Far So Good  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nMWmqjDxI4

thought occurred to himhes usually besetbesiegedbarraged with thoughts a regular fuckin wellspring

cats on the bed began shifting around when bomber a big marmalade male entered  hed become the harbinger of BREAKFAST Get your ass out of bed its time to eat

                                                         their abrupt stirring disturbed his sleep Rise and shine dimwit

Whoya callin a dimwit

Look who responded

                            it was a good argument

as the cats leapt down off the bed followed bomber down the hall rubbing sleep from his eyes he thought

                                                                                                                           Have you recognised that as firstborn  two years you were an only child  without a sibling

                                                                               then damn broke loose

eventually in yearly succession  he became the eldest of eight

                                                                   they didnt have television

Your brothers and sisters had a sibling siblings

Interesting

           not interestinghe disliked interesting  it was vague ambivalent noncommittal like the echo of the word growing fainter and fainter

Will you marry me?

   Interesting.

his thought was fortified as he made the bed that perhaps that was why he had no problems being alone a one-year old two-year old wasnt hangin out on streetcorners with buddies

                                                                  yet

his sibling cravedneeded companionship

they even stayed in lousy marriages

hed have to pass the thought around and see what a jury had to say

though first hed have to find firstborns to see if he was a one-off or if aloneness didnt affect them either

its a thought

an idea

he asked around at work office provided him access to thirtyone people a fair sampling

there were three firstborns but they were an only child  they couldnt stand being alone

the others had siblings

                        they couldnt stand being alone

he had his work cutout him

thought itd be easier

now hed have to make like a petition-taker outside a market

                                                                Excuse me excuse me (if he offered em a buck likelier theyd stop an answer three questions: were they firstborn did they have siblings do you need companions so youre not lonesome)

no takers

            Dammit

should have stopped at the bank for singles

   couldnt say he feltfreaking nanorarely   he couldnt say he felt lonely

he was thoroughly entertained      

0820,  Reggaefriday,  15  12. 23

1017,  Reggaefriday,  15  12. 23

The Big Bopper  Chantilly Lace  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGXFVOc5I8Q

Elvis Presley  Are You Lonesome Tonight  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XVdtX7uSnk

of recent

           when saddlingup to urinals he hadnt any spit    Intro

his old mans process

                       he strollzup unzips let loose the Kraken  his manner of speaking  a funny guy

either hawks a loogie or spits

hes been sighing

unenthused

needs a boost

invigoration

hotshot

             nobodys keepingup                                                        

its one thing to be in the leadanother without competition

                                                                  a challenger

they complained he buried them                                                                                                     

fact was they werent invested 

                               had other priorities

which theyre welcome to  Wha

Priorities, man. Other prioriti . .

. . Yacant say

There’s no point in sayin'.

                            You wouldn’t be interested.

hadim

        knew

he held nothing back

his interestsHis required time energy   investment

                                                     skin in the game

superficial didnt cut it

Hey, man, got better things happenin’.   we’ve

nobody over his shoulder

nobody hustlin him to piss an get out of the way

approximately 1445,  Thursday,  14  12. 23

2151,  Thursday

Dead To You  Sigma  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkfk8xmLoXA

Korantemaa  By the Time You’ve Finished Your Coffee  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mj5JrBxwqA

was tryin like a sonofabitch not to apologise to a friend

                                                          had handed him his ass

went back and forth and back and forth with himself

   decided Hell no

                    decided they were on par

albeit both subpar

he went to gasoline stations for gas

on occasion bought a cold drink out of the cooler 

snagged a chocolate bar  a bagged snack

he didnt go to dine

friend

        passing through Maricopa California while visiting fell hungry

thats what he said

                      I got hungry.

had to appease his hunger

bought himself some gasoline station fried chicken

selected pieces out from under heat lamps

Youah ask  when it was friedhow long itd been laying out

I wouldn’t do that. Said I was hungry.

Was it a known stop in town

How doya mean?

I go to a local Liquor and Deli People stand in line to buy fried chicken mojo potatoes tri-tips sandwiches barbecued out front every morning over white oaksmells amazing  but when theyre gone theyre gone an they go

Its got a couple gas pumps on the side

                                         Was it like tha

It was a gas station.

Restaurants in Maricopa

I said I wanted to eat I was hungry.

shook his head Hungry for gasoline fried chicken

                                                   You da man

then later

another friend had been to Iowa

Casey’s. she said

                    My friend thought I’d be hungry when I got in and stopping for gas before picking me up from the airport in Waterloo he bought me a couple slices of pizza. Was on waxed paper.What?

Didnt say anything

People speak with their eyes too.

   Yah

        Aint got lyin eyes 

No. Straightforth eyes.  Usually yasay.

Tryin to spare ya

                  Wha slices

One bacon, other sausage.

Yare not keen on sausage

No.

    He ate it.

How was your slice

Bacon was crispy like I like it.

Theres an upside

Odd though.

Hows tha

Wasn’t made with tomato sauce.

Bianca

Oh look at you.

Have my moments

You do.  No, not bianca.

Nacho cheese sauce.

                      Really?Again?

Tryin to spare ya some grief is all

1927,  day-between-2-Ts,  6  12. 23

1254,  Thursday,  14  12. 23