CLEFT EYE

The danger of it hovered the head the back of the head one of the shoulders sounded familiar like a script like a repeated meeting of things that didn't belong together and yet kept bumping into each other heard that one with the ear in the tall plastic cup with the design scratched out most of it scratched with some utensil some writing utensil had those removed at least that's what the dress the wrinkled dress told me and laughed now that wasn't good was it? was it? used the last tissue from the box the last box from the last time she disappeared when she looked looked like she was looking and I as I looked right at her looked as if I was looking right at her she disappeared without moving nothing moving about that that feeling that sensation of danger the danger of it hovered and perhaps another visit to the closet would settle this at least just this one time in the closet balled up in a corner and listening to the sounds orbiting around the corner I was in this corner of done for things this corner of had my chance and I never made swing at it many times too many times for this feeble memory of whose was it again the danger of it 

hovered

"You're exaggerating."
"Of course I am exaggerating."
"I can tell ask me how I can tell, Stamen."
"Stamen? Isn't that part of a plant?"
"It's a good name. Now ask me how I can tell."
"That is the genitals is it not?"
"You're not going to ask me are you?"
"Why would you name me after plant genitals?"
"Not you. This guy I used to work with in another building. They actually let us use tools there? Remember those? You probably don't."
"Why would you name me after him? Did he walk funny?"
"I'm just pretending you're him for the rest of the day. You probably won't remember what we're saying after you take your next shit."
"Is it because he dropped things or only read the first couple of sentences in every email he got?"
"This will all be falling out of your ass momentarily."
"Is it because he would foul up what he thought were profound quotes or the air at large?"
"Just for the rest of the day. Until he died."
"How did he die?"
"In the desert."
"Exposure?"
"Dead end job."
"I use less contractions when I exaggerate."
"There was this plastic snake that had two heads and the one plastic snake head said to the other: Help me to launch an all out attack on the rear. I think there is another head back there that could make trouble for the two of us. And the other plastic snake head replied: Ask me how I can tell that is a dumb ass idea. And what do you think the other plastic snake head said?"
"I use less contractions when I exaggerate."
"I am not being that overt you glued shut ass crack. The other plastic snake head didn't say anything because the little girl whose toy it was came along pulled it apart into its segments and put it away in a drawer."
"And what does that have to do with anything?"
"There was this stapler on a diving board in the desert."

scratched out most of it scratched with some utensil some writing utensil had those removed at least that's what the dress the wrinkled dress told me and laughed now that wasn't good was it? was it? used the last tissue from the box the last box from the last time she disappeared when she looked looked like she was looking and I as I looked right at her looked as if I was looking right at her she disappeared without moving nothing moving about that.

"I see a face."
"Where?"
"In the cloud next to that creepy tree."
"Which creepy tree? They all look creepy."
"In the middle of this cloud here next to this creepy tree here."
"This cloud here?"
"Yes that one. Doesn't that look like a face to you?"
"Where you see faces I see clouds that withhold their rain."

What she had tumbling about in her head she did not want to put through another cycle wetting the towel is as far as she rubbing the sleep out of her glasses the town did not sit well on her stomach or any other part for that matter could not be destroyed but a voice was plucked out and hung over the fence looking over its shoulder this this doing of this out of context what should we call it she many times called him out of context speaking from the middle of his sentences trying out what trying on another as she walked away to come back with a beginning and end maybe that's what she went to get or find we'll just sit here until look for a place to sit until.


- Max Stoltenberg