WHARVED

Frosty’s Eviction

I won’t drag out the inevitable if it means that you’ll turn into a puddle on the floor before I’m even getting to the point of my visit. It pains me to be the errand boy for these kinds of things, even if I am getting paid handsomely.

You’ve undoubtedly noticed how much things are heating up around here, and you probably wouldn’t be surprised to hear that your landlord doesn’t much like your style of living. I chalk it up to good old-fashioned prejudice and ignorance.

That being said, he’s giving you 48 hours to pack up and find another place to live. He wants to wish you good luck in the future, especially when it comes to affording a place where you can let your popsicles just sit out on the kitchen table.

Shrug and Go

Everything falls
on top of everything else
in the waystation
of our shattered consciousness,

building pressure
and adding weight
where a sane person
would shrug

and go about the day
as though uncompromised
by circumstance and accumulation–

aware of the fact,
ignoring it for progress
[or so they say].

Unlit Cigar

There’s nothing
like constantly haranguing
the world into submission

with your evocative words
and pro-life agendas,
especially if

you wear tailored suits
and carry an unlit cigar
with you wherever you go.

Giants to Feast

Fell upon a sixteen-pound cookie baked by Eleanor Roosevelt,
then tumbled into the mine shaft connecting Florida to Wyoming.

Made a right turn at wherever the wild prairies blew ragweed,
but had to double back away from the prairie dogs.

Ran through a tunnel built for giants to feast within,
realized those giants were hungry for supper,
leapt out of my skin and bled to death.

Any Good Pastry

A half-baked carp cheek croissant smears in the oven
as the room rotates itself a full 90 degrees,
never to return to its original orientation.

Spread too thin, the pastry burns within minutes
and catches fire, as any good pastry should.

The fire, fueled by neglect,
engulfs the cabinets and cutting boards
before the leisurely smoke detector decides it’s had enough.

Frightened, I Packed

A dull thud emanated from the cabinet last week as I passed by the kitchen. I didn’t investigate, but the thud got louder and louder while I camped out in the living room. Not one to be entirely superstitious, I shrugged it off and continued drinking my beer. You know, I couldn’t tell you what the thud was, but my next-door neighbor happened to see movement in my kitchen from their window at allegedly the same time as the thuds. Frightened, I packed up and moved away from that house as quickly as I possibly could. There’s no way in hell I’m going to live next to a nosy neighbor.

Behavior at These Times

We clearly didn’t get enough sleep, and now I can’t even focus for more than four seconds without staring off into space like some kind of nutjob. It’s impossible to plan to feel this way, but we could certainly have predicted it based upon our nightly behavior.

At these times, it’s important to remember that stomach lining can be replaced, and your muscles don’t always feel this tight. Nobody’s looking at you funny, so stop squenching up your face like you’re staring at the sun before you give me a heart attack.

I’m prone to sudden spasms, you know that.