She breathed in the hillside mist and the mist became myth and, as she exhaled, once-untrue stories became.
Bottle
He said I had no bottle so I hit him in the face with one. Job accepted, job done. Now who’ll tell me this is no work for a girl?
The key of E
Sleep, sleep well.
Then keys, keys fell.
Hell’s bells! he yelled, sleep-freed.
Learning verbs and truths
We wake, woke, woken.
We speak, spoke, spoken.
Promises break, broke, broken.
Fade in…
Fade in to the music that plays in his head when he thinks of her. The chorus arrives then sticks sticks like old vinyl. Fade out.
He might have been a lead character
He might have been a lead character in an airport novel. His jaw was granite hard and stubbled, his t-shirt tight across wide shoulders and chest. If he sensed injustice, his flint-blue eyes would flash fire, his biceps tighten and, as his fists clenched, the scars on his knuckles would whiten. He looked up at the clock.
Two men the size and shape of tapered wardrobes walked slowly into the bar. They stopped. One smiled. “Hello Fluffy.”
You should eat more
“I often feel sad. I want to be happier.”
“You should eat more lobster.”
(Sponsored by the Lobster Marketing Board)
“I ate more lobster and I’m less unhappy. But still a little unhappy.”
“Try smiling even when you don’t really feel like it.”
“I’ve tried smiling when I don’t really feel like it and still feel sad. And a bit of an idiot.”
“Of course! Wear this hat.”
“Thanks but I still looked a grinning idiot. And I’m no happier.”
“Try flipping a coin as you walk down the street. Take the hat off.”
“I lost the coin. And my wallet. So I can’t afford to buy any more lobster. Sad.”
“Save up! Save up for lobster!”
(Sponsored by the LMB)
Game
A game of innocents, collecting flowers. Buckled shoes, smiles and hay fever sneezes. Then a cloud across the sun and cold shadow.
My story held
My story held tigers and bears, fierce, clawed. Held them. Just. Then she softened the boundaries and freed the imaginary.
Sometimes spelling is important
Sometimes spelling is important, thought Ringo in his afterlife, rolling dung into a ball. The bird locked up for stealing nodded and pecked.
simonsalento 