Fast Day 112 July 25 2009 {Living and Dying}

Living and Dying

six o'clock we eat;
then play cards;
someone on the tv
screams at us.

a giant man enters, talks to me.
I do not know him, yet he
seems to know me.
there is a vague aura of blame.

hey, dad! how's things on the home front?
you still playin' euchre with...what's her name?
the blond gal...

not bad, not bad.
and the blond gal's dead;
they cut off her leg...then the solar
umbilicus tied to the sun
that gives us walk!

get you anything? no?
I went by your old place.
it's still there.
same place.

except, he says, except
they painted the front door
and tuck pointed the brick
and put in a new sidewalk
and...oh, just about changed
everything inside out!
and there's a new family
down the street, some asian
types, I think.

six o'clock we eat;
then play cards;
someone on the tv
screams at us.

beyond tv screams, it is too quiet,
even when the giant talks:
at my house, there is a kitchen counter
to be made spotless,
and a carpet to be vacuumed,
and chores to be done
and there's a whole harvest of life!
...and life is just that, cleaning
up the mess of breath,
the junk of love,
the jetsam of a child,
and seeing god within
small, small desires
that are created
in 7 days!

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picture: habitacion par daniel r