Category: Rituals

It was deflating and enraging.
Deflating the position clearly decided upon
deflating not to be given valid chance
deflating to have gone to the effort
deflating to recognise the call –
exchange of eye contact –
a decent interval of time has elapsed – terminate
and enraging,
the charade had the finesse of two six-year-olds making pancakes

Two weeks removed from teenage-hood
what the hell am I doing here
hell, irony –
when all the talk is about heaven,
the afterlife – is there? Perhaps Greg knows.
Outside
beatific sunshine
old brick and new pavers
I and two others from high school shake hands with his parents –
polite and formal – 
“ Oh yes, of course. Nice to see you. Thank you for coming.”

Slowly through stately and sedate avenues behind
the stately and sedate hearse,
to the motorway
and……
eight cylinders of chrome and Cadillac
becomes eight cylinders of flash and Cadillac
sheeeeyit
faaarrrrck
“well,”
shrugs the driver of the clapped-out Ford
“ did ya think there was a hearse lane.”

Good news can be mistaken –
phew, it’s okay, but it’s not
but bad – terminal – a look that can’t feign
you just know..
Screwed.
Trashed.
***ked.

The technician called the boss over,
but I already knew
he came to the counter –
“….. It’s had it ….
…much more cost-effective to get a new one,
I’lI get that organized.”
Truth speaks what proof of purchase hasn’t yet
but will
“ it’s more than a year old …. outside warranty ..
ummm.”
The tone is stern – very – but not in dispute,
clarification,
“ I don’t care about a piece of paper
I’m not having anyone say they bought a machine from me
and it only lasted 15 months
you’re having a new one. No charge.”