A Wanton Act of Abandonment

 

I went out today without my mobile phone.

It felt wanton.

I know something dreadful will happen.

An accident. A death.

A crack in the surface of things.

And someone will try to contact me.

It’s happened before.

My daughter giving birth.

I was three hours late.

Shit happens.

But nine times out of ten it doesn’t.

It’s a gamble.

A dead weight in my pocket.

The world can do without me for a few hours.

I’ll be back, as Arnie says.

There may be messages saying,

Where the hell are you? We’ve been trying to contact you all day!

And I’ll answer winsomely,

I just stepped out for a moment.

Wassup ?

Hands Up!

I caught an intruder in my kitchen just now. He was trying to break into the wine bottle. Anybody who knows me knows this is an intolerable act. I pulled out my gun and immediately ordered him to put his hands up. Thankfully as this photo demonstrates he was compliant. Henceforth I will keep my wine under lock and key.

Eye

 

I am looking at the eye

At the space where the eye is meant to be.

It is blank. Dead.

Like an abandoned place.

Doesn’t blink. Doesn’t wink at me

Like it used to do.

No flashing-green come-on.

Nothing.

It has been swallowed by a black hole

Of indifference.

It isn’t as though we just met.

Why doesn’t she text, or phone?