Fantastic  he mimbled

                       cleared his throatsaid Dead tread on the roadside  Curled   Coiling

overhead pigeons on curved armatures of lampposts

black tortured tread left alone long

                                     transforms into serpents of queer tastesappetites

fed on busted deer raptor carcasses

                                      and lusted after the fun of tracking rare hitchhikers less rare easier last century  who never see it coming

                     camouflaged

tossed semi tire treadSURPRISE

                                    lungesleaps at their throatstwines their pathetic bodies

snaps their thumbs

unable to graspgrip 

defenceless

mauled

mawed

like a snake

digested

disregarded on the roadside

the really sickbastards thrive on highways near State Federal penitentiaries where there are roadsigns

                                  Do Not Pick Up Hitchhikers

 

dead treads couldnt have thoughtup fashioned better menus                                      

1230,  2sday,  3  9. 24

1341,  Thursday,  5  9. 24

they arranged to talk that evening

                                    

he couldnt waitwas going to blow her awaywas going to provoke her “thing” couldn’t waitwas giddy giggly

                                                                                                                 unbecoming a man

like he cared

               because he was anythingeverything he did was mannish

wasnt pansyish looking over his shoulder for masculine confirmation

                                                                          Hell

refused Church Confirmation

heard confirmation

heard conform 

                Right

Thad be a Cold day in Hell

disappointed his parents

                          What are we going to tell your aunts, uncles, your cousins?

Atheist would have been too brusque they may have taken him out into the backyard and stoned him with the stones they made him dig out of the ground for the garden

turned out Once Upon a Time the property was a creek bed  flowed out of the mountains

                                                                                             lots of large round blunt stones

scarred by picks shovels gooseneck irons

would have been ugly

                            Atheist talk could have provoked that

he said Im sure youll think of something

                                             Its not the first time Ive disappointed you

Or will be the last

he thought provocation was innately his

                                           just couldnt figure outthough leaned towards his mother who provided the genetic A C G T

Adenine

Cytosine

Guanine

Thymine

          wasnt a stupid boy

maybe too big for his britches as his grandmother said

Britches  how did she know britches she was from Poland

spoke brokenEnglish at best

hed get her flustered just to have her lose it to hear her strange native tongue

                                                                                 asif Latin Mass had anything on Polish

 

shed call theyd converse let her run awhile  she could run   hed interrupt

                                                                                Youll never guess so Ill tellya

You don’t even want me to guess?

Youd never guess

Awright. If you say.  I’m all ears.

I made a bumper sticker for the car

I never would have guessed.

                                 Since the election’s coming, something political?

Thawoud have been a savvy guess  No

Ill tellya

she laughed

               Must say, the suspense is killing me.

I have my moments

                      Sticker says said it asif he was Richard Dawson Family Feud Survey says

I Brake for Birds

 

Brake for birds?

Is that a thing there?

Hmm

         What do you tell me

Did you set me up?

  I didIm so fucking proud of myself

                                       Ifya think its a thing it probably is

Seriously Papa.   Are you braking for birds?

My bumper sticker says so

    I am They hustle out of the hedgerow along the busted road bugs running like Helllike it doesnt occur to them they have wings but  ya know whathey say

    No. What do they say?

I havent a clue Thought youd know

Really?

Push comes to shove  Birds of a feather

                                          Or

Birdbrain

I can’t believe you set me up.

Your old mans still got tricks up his sleeve

                                              Really really huge shirts small hookers

1409,  day-between-2-Ts,  4  9. 24

1213,  Thursday,  5  9. 24

Richard Dawson  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_Nvud4-cpU

his daughter suggested again

                                 . . . please take her to lunch . . please.   maybe a third please would have made it sound like a suggestion if if take  was also dropped

he heard take her to lunch

typically wasnt one to please

                              cut against his grain

he took her

an Irish pub his daughter recommended didnt tell him to take her there  tell he was irritated

she was a goodlooking woman 

a girl college sophomore  is a woman

paradoxically

                his daughter a junior was a girl   paradox  made him laugh

a goodlooking woman

her name didnt stick

not until he saw her

then it hustled back as she called him Dad  Valarie

                                                       maybe the two As

never Val shed spit  he asked if ever    she spit

                                                    he did like that about her

was no nonsense liked that too

he could suppose there was a lot to like but she was his daughters buddy

they both chose Shepherds pie it was lamb

two double Jameson

two Guinness poured proper

like he took himself to lunch

halfway through the pies a second Jameson Valarie said brassballs

                                                                       I’m wondering . what it might be like to . . . sleep . with a friend’s father.

he eyed her hard

                   By your expression  suggests youre pondering

I am. You’re observant.

I am

What do you think?

I think lose the baggage

Hmm.  Baggage?

Friend Father  Think guy

                               Also woud suggest sex to sleep

she chuckled  So you suggest I rephrase what I’m pondering.

What do you come up with

What it might be like to have sex with a guy.

Atta grrl  Simple

                        he tookup his whiskey held it towards her  Slàinte Mhaith 

she grasped her  Yes.

they tapped glass loved the ring of lead crystal

                                               each a good sipanswallow

There is another thing to ponder

Is there?

You willing to settle

Settle?

Seems you are

Are you going to let me in on this other thing?

I am

she smiled very seductively

he could have fucked her face in that moment

                                             I am

Tell me. The suspense is killing me.

Is he interested in having sex with you

Are you kidding me? Look. I’m young, attractive.

                                                           I have a great body.

Remains to be seen

Its a twoway street baby

2300ish,  day-between-2-Ts,  4  9. 24

1006,  Thursday,  5  9. 24

happened yesterday

usually he crawled all over that before he could draw another breath

                                                                          but

he sat on his hands  was rocked on his heels

perhaps  exhibited some discernment

                                         not a strong suitnot that anyone would know him

not thatthat would bother him

thickskinned

              credit to his MawHell credit also to Maxs Gym  boxing

Happened  again   yesterday

Old

Grievous

Ought to bitchslap they cant take a punch a lot of fucking politicians

                                                                       I hold the families in my thoughts and prayers

though not one holds a candle to Ex

                                      “We have to get over it.”  get over it  had the shooter fired at his torsoOver It

Apalachee

horrible to think 

but on occasion he thought horribly

school shooting

horrific equaliser

   parenting

             Makes white parentssingle white parents sit down with their children and have the talk that black parentssingle black parents have had  particularly  with their sons    have been for more than onehunred years

had to get that off his chest

did not sleep well last night

1439,  day-between-2-Ts,  4  9. 24

1102,  Thursday,  5  9. 24

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-tells-supporters-get-iowa-school-shooting-move-forward-rcna132610

Mike Johnson  https://rollcall.com/2023/10/26/after-mass-shooting-new-speaker-calls-for-prayer-that-senseless-violence-can-stop/

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/10/mike-johnson-abortion-school-shootings.html

Vance is trying  https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/jd-vance-calls-school-shootings-fact-life-faces-pushback-rcna169900?cid=eml_maddow_20240906&user_email=e4c91d00eead6d858374885584701152a02c6d873bb23bf387b4583a289e5951&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=TRMS%209/6/24&utm_term=Rachel%20Maddow%20Show

talking toilet

toilet talked to him

as the water boiled under his stream he could swear he heard a voice

                                                                            unfortunately

it spokerapidly like an ex-ci-ta-ted native Mexicanspeaker on speed

he wasnt

             smoked a joint  awfullyhigh his mind was liberated

not that he evereverever shackled it

welloiled wellgreased

uncensored

            provocative as having sex with a nun who screamed called him by the wrong name OH GOD OH GOD OH JESUS

          thats a gangbang

takin on three

                JEEZ

greedy as him

they never knew what hitem

a party

         was some awesome hash

he procured it

shared it

    maybe they felt obligated

who knows

didnt ask

a long torrid night

thank Gawd there were coupled breaks

firingup another bowl

a spectator

voyeur

then back to the fray

                      tits pussy ass inside elbow armpit back of knees feet throat nape of neck  spinefurrow 

only thing that braked em broke them was sheerexhaustion

    woke in the morning  tangle of legs arms whos was whos

like someone dismembered spiders scattered their appendages across the bed

                                                                                  OH JESUS

he kept mumbling to the toilet Woudyaslow it down slow it down  pickedup a word here and there SLOW DOWN woudya  Id love to hearunderstand wha youre saying  Pleease

FUCK

       tapped out

only thing remaining was the freneticfroth at the corners of its mouth

1718,  Monday – Labour Day,  2  9. 24

1236,  day-between-2-Ts,  4  9. 24

his kidbrother called

they were five minutes in he thought Oh Christ  Not this again

                                                                       could suppose their ears were within intimate proximity despite twothousand miles apart

marvel of cellular phone technology

                                       No no  I said Jeff was suffering tendonitis  You havent suffered it

No. Not tendonitis. Tinnitus.

                             Had a terrible bout, lasted months, actually went to see a doctor he prescribed some medicine it backed off only occasionally now was driving me nuts

Ahbro You havent far to go

    Funny.

Youre a riot

he crossed his fingers  his ears brothers ears were waging a standup comedy bit as at the party the night before 

                                                                                                                        his ears had been outrageous

Gogol wha Who

What?

You said some kid you grew up with His last name Only Gogol I know  thas itno more syllables letters Russian writer Dead Souls famous short story Viy means evil spirit  The Nose

    What are you going on about?

Awright  Okay    Take a breath

                                    What was the kids name you just mentioned tha you grew up with

Go  Go  Weigold.

Go  Go

         Not Gogolweigold

No. Go-Go was his nickname, his last name was Weigold.

Nickname Wha the hell is it with you an nicknames  Where I grew up they were few an far between

Kids didn’t have nicknames? That’s nuts.

Seemscorrect me if Im wrong you were in charge of makinem

You know, if I think about it, you’re probably right.

Unfortunate Youre not clever betya nicknamed a fat kid Skinny

I did.

Oozing cleverness Not

                           We called each other our given names

Boring. Missed out on a great childhood.

If ignorance is great  Yah

Not ignorant.

Childish  Namecalling

    Whatever.

You still go by yours

                         Go Go still go by Go Go

No. He died about ten years ago.

My condolences

                    On his headstone

Are you kidding me? Of course not.

How will you recognise his grave

I don’t go to cemeteries.

Arent your parents buried

eyes narrowed They are.

Anya don visitem

They’re not there.

Yathink they bought plots with the intention that family woud

I’ve no idea.

 

   Nothing?

Tacere

What do you mean?

Goes without saying better left unsaid

                                            Jesus

I’m a riot?

Without a doubt

You really think so?

I know so

            I keep waitin for you to kick off your standup career

I’m not doing standup.

No

No.

      I intend to do sitdown and make the audience stand.  he tried to muffle his chuckle

See  Riot

           Im sorry brother Ive gotta cut this short have a meeting to attend

Loco?

Its local

Which?

Exactly wha I thought

they brayed like asses

0930,  2sday,  3  9. 24

1128,  day-between-2-Ts,  4  9. 24

he and his ears were at crosspurposes they were at playhaving a ball

                                                                             they

his ears

not them

           they

Woudya comon

    What? acting startled

Im tryin to have a conversation youre misinforming me

Whell . . maybe . you should pay better attention.

Its casual

Then what’s with the bug up your ass?

                                             It’s casual.

Youre makin casual a casualty

    So clever.

Im not being clever

                      Clearly

Fine. Howbout this?  We can be your fallguy, if need be blame it on us.

I will

Awright.  Can we keep playing?

Ok  Knock yourselves out

We’ll be subtle.

Subtle  Ifso thas acceptableI can live with tha

                                                      what he didnt know was that when ears were within say  sixfeet that intimacy they can effectuatecommunicate with the others ears

they can play together

Inebriated?

Wha

Did you ask me if I’d like to be inebriated?

shook his head No realising the fallguys were hard at play No

                                                              Invertebrate marveled Asked if you ever considered being one for example  a jellyfish  a cnidarian coral gorgonians anemones  Something without a spinewhich  on occasion has been evident

he must have still been pondering drunkmissed the insult  although if its true it isnt an insult

                                                                                                    he doth not protest

    Invertebrate  Jellyfish

No.

      I could have sworn you said inebriated.

No

little later . . .

               . . . it’s gneiss or it’s granite.

Thas a huge leap

No.  Not really they’re very similar.

Nice an granite

                   Thas a stretch Im not following

Granite. An absence of bands which is characteristic of gneiss. Also granite’s resistance to weathering, erosion, due to interlocking crystals.

he was flummoxed

                  Whastha have to due with Fuck  not nice  gneiss   G N E I S S

Yes.

Donbe irritated

Why are you spelling?

Because I caught N I C E

No.

Obviously

a little later . . .

                 . . . I don’t think I heard you correctly . . . A chameleon? If I’d like to be a chameleonwe flipping a page backcircling back to your jellyfish invertebrates’ query?

Excuse me a second

Awright guys at an endya had your playtime this is gettin ridiculous

You said we could be subtle.

Is subtle three tricks in not fifteen minutes

Has it only been fifteen?

                          Although . . . we have been subtle.

Yes I know  He hasnt a clue

His ears do.

Whadyamean

They and us, we’re synched.

    You can do tha

If in close proximity, yah.

I didnt know tha

Now you do.

   Awright  Could we call it a trucehave you stop until the next or a later conversation

Do we gotta?

Id appreciate it  Its earlythe party will go late

                                                  Trust me  Ample time

Ample.

I swear

    Awright.

Thank you thank you

You’re welcome.

Im sorry excuse me  Had a  a thing in my ear

Tinnitus?

puzzled him

              he heard tendonitis Excuse me

A ringing in the ears, tinnitus.

Ah

    Perhaps was probably the fallguys humoured buhbye       

I didnt say chameleon

                         I said comedian

1700ish,  Monday – Labour Day,  2  9. 24

1004,  day-between-2-Ts,  4  9. 24