as she pop pop pops her gum
her atrocious voice squeaks;
meanwhile, death metal plays from the headphones
of the wandering do-nothing office nomad.
a bird tap tap taps the pane.
sirens crisscross the potholed streets.
hammers strike in time
to sousa's stars and stripes forever.
it's mine mine mine she screams.
a filthy son's blonde hair's adorned with sap.
the trash, the dishes, the lawn,
the question do you think i'm fat.
the car clop clop clops until
the front tire collapses violently.
the cell phone inoperable on this stretch.
a ten-mile hike in loafers; his rim ruined.
the phone ring ring rings six times.
he hears his mother-in-law share
'i have a bladder infection; i can't pittle.
and tom has hemorrhoids; he can't, well, you know'.
something hiss hiss hisses loudly
in the kitchen. a small explosion
as fire engulfs the newly installed
cherry wood cabinets. they move into a motel.
his boss knock knock knocks his fist
on the ugly flimsy wall of the cubicle.
'come to my office' at four on a friday;
the boss sits as the hr rep explains unemployment.
he hears bang bang bangs upstairs
in his brother's house, to which he has a key.
he waits downstairs as they conclude.
his brother and his wife walk into the room.
he pound pound pounds his fist
on the sticky dashboard of the datsun hatchback.
an unwanted epiphany strikes
like the headache following a spinal tap.
he smiles not unwickedly
at the beautiful fractures in his sanity.