a moth dive-bombs the porch light like that bike courier
delivering a letter written in 1986 as clouds loom over the face of the moon
dew whispers as it falls, tasting of promises forgotten; it feels limp in my hand
midnight feels like a mournful train horn in the distance
heard by Jack Robinson walking Seymour View Road, alone
at least I have a clear view of the moon
An excerpt from the draft:
Grocery shopping after work was a poor choice. Worn out from teaching her class of fourth-graders and a faculty meeting where the principal waxed lyrical about the health and safety rating of the school she had no mental energy left to process the glaring lights of the grocery store and its terrible excuse for produce. Skipping the rest of the overpriced produce she headed for the frozen food section, grabbed a frozen hand-made burrito and decided it would do.
Waiting for the cheese in her burrito to cool down, she thought about what the principal had to say about the improved safety rating of the school. Looking at the numbers, she had quickly calculated that the improvements started when outdoor recesses were cancelled. Having no break from the kids for recess and lunch was exhausting. On days when the sun shone, the UV rating was too high for the kids to go out without eye protection and a thick layer of sunscreen. The rain ruined clothing and coats, and parents preferred that the kids stayed inside.
a wave of gasoline and oil
fresh tires
impatiently standing still
the impatient throttle
screaming the start, the start the start – !
plumes of exhaust metallic and sharp
we are speed and fear; gritted teeth
wind slaps tears into my eyes
our nerves are buzzing
bees in a jar shaken
lights out.
I suppose that I should have known more about the issues; Middle Eastern Country A pissed off Middle Eastern Country B, and Israel was all het up about defending itself. It’s been a nightmare over there since ever. I guess Pakistan and India took the opportunity to put their fingers back on the trigger, and China and the Koreas are trading threats back and forth. And good ol’ freedom-lovin’ America. We have missiles pointed everywhere at everyone.
I care more about making my sales targets and staying away from the wrath of the Sales Director. I’m an overworked, underpaid college graduate with an English degree trying to sell replacement insurance to suckers who’ve bought a new vehicle. What they never pay attention to is the fine print. At least I just sell the policies. The Claims Agents never last more than two or three months. The burnout from people screaming at them when their claim is inevitably declined is incredible. One guy even came down to the office and started smashing the windows in on the first floor with the bumper off of his wrecked car while yelling about modern day piracy or something. I dunno. I guess he didn’t notice that the first floor is the building’s lobby and coffee shop. The barista was laughing hysterically and filming the whole thing on her phone. Someone must’ve called the cops, because eventually they came and hauled him away, weeping and red-faced. They handcuffed him and dumped him into the cop car. Hilarious.