Nowhere Coast

Over here. Stay quiet. Shhh. Just be quiet.

 

It’s safe to talk now. How did you get here? Who sent you? Can’t you talk? Well, my mute friend, you’ve dropped yourself in a real shitty situation. That man, Radley Boomer is NOT going to let us go. What?  I can’t understand you. Here, I have paper. Sam, give me that notebook. This is Sam. What is your name? Tell us your name first?

Angelo. Ok, Sam this is Angelo. I am Cassandra. How did you get to be here?

Where? Was it the engine? Tires?

Sam can fix engines. This is good. What? Ok, Sam. Ok. Hey, do you have a cigarette? Thank you. Two? Oh thank you, Angelo. Thank you. Let me see.

Just under an hour. We were…in the house. We NEED to get out of here, not worry about ancient history. Ok. Ok. Here’s what it is. I heard him go through some sort of…change. Sam? No, he heard nothing. Wait, what was that? Shhhhh.

 

So listen, Angelo. We have weapons. Sam has a pitch fork, I have a knife. We just need to get to your car, Sam can fix it, and we can get out of here. No, listen. THAT is NOT a man. He might have been. Now, he is not. Not a man. Not. What?

No. That’s blood.

The road is his.

Shhh. Quiet. Quiet. Quiet, Angelo. Shhhh.

Second Chance

I only know you gave me a second chance.

What else is there?

Hopes Things Are The Same

In just a couple of hours, he would pull the truck up to that same church. She would have to bang the car door shut with her summer church dressed hip and then she would swing Homer up onto that same hip. And he would pull Sam and Winston, one in each hand and they would walk in together.

In just a couple of hours…

Because It Must

Never knowing where

been where go

and went

curled and spent

only begun to conquer

with green and resilient

vine

never thine

last weather, measure

and reach

Softest Glow

Its when you put your head there-

my cells can’t stop their prances.

Fretful Travel

Did you know I would ask for you that day?

I drove all night when they told me.

In that room, I couldn’t leave you.

But we parted just the same.

Dream I

She would run from the house, lifting her rough skirts to increase her speed. To get there. The shouts of the sisters would echo, but she would ignore them and laugh, casting her eyes up to a blue sky. The sound of the tall grasses played drums on her tall boots. She would get there, she would. Defying all the rules, she would make it to the place, the illusion he had bloomed in her earthen mind. She would search the forest, wondering if it was all a Victorian fairytale, had she burned her bridges in a free fall for no reason, no promise.

But in her dream, he was there. His clear eyes darted to the side and she saw the carvings. And then he was gone again. She felt with her fingers tips and the wood still hummed and burned with life. She read it like a map and was off.

A new course charted.

Lies

If I strap you in…

it wont hurt.

An Umbrella

Chuck rain

drops

aside

dont linger

but evaporate

sluice holm

transcend the tree

cell by cell

an umbrella

I Remember He Likes To Fix Things…

A package came for you.

Oh yeah?

Yeah. UPS dropped it off after Frenchie came by.

Frenchie came by?

Yes, she showed me how to make that sweet potato pie that Teddy loves so much.

Oh yeah.

So you gonna open it?

Huh?

The package. Sheesh, what’s wrong with you?

I’m worried about Jeremiah. His teacher says…well nevermind.

What?

No, I don’t want to talk about it. Where’s the box?

In the foyer. Did something happen at school?

No, nothing like that. Where?

Under the drafting table. Then what?

Where?

RIGHT there, under my coat.

Oh yes. Huh. No idea. Can you hand me those scissors? It’s heavy.

Yeah, I noticed that. Is Jeremiah eating with us?

I think so, why don’t you call him down…

Cause I wanna see whats in the box!

Lord, it’s probably nothing, Aunt Carol is always sending me those supplements, remember?

Yes! The last ones made you smell like feet! Ha! What’s that rattling?

Wrenches.

Wrenches?

It’s a box full of wrenches.

Weird! JEREMIAH!!! Is there a note or something?

There’s a card. It has Jeremiah’s name on it.

Totally weird! A box of wrenches…

Hey buddy. This came for you.

Do you recognize the handwriting, mom? Mom?

I Remember He Likes to Fix Things

-M