Category: Rituals

Physical chemistry, interesting to some I guess
compulsory for the rest
regulations, thou shalt have
labs: tedious measure of arcane indices.
Thank God  Chris, classmate extraordinaire,
knew someone from a couple years ago
and
they weren’t imaginative enough to change the practicals.
Smug, complacent, self-congratulating non-learners.
One day –
“so, who’s got the book this week?”
Our secret – how does an old conformist like him know?
Sigh –
“ I was a student myself once
and the book
one was making the rounds when Archimedes was a freshman.”

Everybody has one –
a friend whose life planet tilted
more summer, less winter
promotion,
inheritance,
lottery luck –
rehearsal is over. Cinderella has the part – permanently.
Nothing will change,
they promise.
Footmen and maids welcome, always – never forgotten.

For Stephen the past was inconvenient
inconveniently downmarket
inconveniently inhabited by almost bohemians
not losers, but …..
station wanted to abandon – jettison.

Loyalty had disquiet
eviction too brutal.
Compromise has an idea
phone calls accepted : messages unreturned
the diary willing, but the pencil preemptive
for that day,
that week, 
that event.
It formed slowly – it took six months
after two years he sighed to an acquaintance, I never call him.

Alias Smith or Jones!! That was beneath sarcasm
or ridicule.
Duh
thick
total lack of understanding or respect for an audience.

No, he said you start with your first name, “ Greg ” …. head up, attention
natural man … reflexive always
trying not to … like trying not to sneeze
possible, but difficult
so…. got that part.
About surnames
think of the curve
frequency of distribution, a not attention gathering median,
something like Jackson, Johnson, Taylor
or one that no one would want
like me
Greg Cocks –
poor bastard…. imagine being stuck with that handle
that’s how you choose a name
for working under the table.….