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The Desert

I walk through the desert. It smells like I imagine China would smell, like fish and dogs. My mouth is a vessel of wind, air, and lately, leaves. Desert shrubbery is prickly. Ever so prickley. Prickley wrickley. There are some hills in the distance. I've been there before. What a horrible day. Cut and tailored tire treads work as sandals, tied to my big toe with some string I found. And I always have dental floss. I keep my whiteys sharp and my sharpies white. There was plaque in my teeth last Sunday because I ate of the sugar plant. At least it's hot in the day time, but at night, friends, the cold bites worse than the snakes try to in the daytime. Snakes are fine to eat.

One time, when I was feeling extra silly or exsil as my friend and I like to call it, I skipped rope with a long snake. A long snake. Skipped rope with it. There were fires that night. Not fires every night. 

Often, if there is enough ether, I like instead to take warmth from my own failures. The ether probably helps also. Usually on those nights I awake chewing on my own arm. Blood helps a bit with the hunger, but you know it's a vicious cycle, after some thought. Maybe if the blood were coming from a tree on your arm which took nutrients from the sun, then it would be fine, but drinking your own blood can only cause harm. Yeah, I'm hungry. Damn. Hungry. Hun-gry. Madness is setting in. 

What's that Sheila? You vant make toast. If only I had toast. If only I was of Lithuanian heritage. Until then, though, until then, until I become a gd Lithuanian, well, I guess I'll just dig holes still. Dig gd holes gdamit.

6 comments:

JMH said...

It's poetry a bit, or at least poetics. I have no idea what poetics means. Something good or neutral I imagine.

It's very almost deranged.

sybil law said...

It's just awesome.
As usual.

John Dantzer said...

JMH - I didn't think you would like this one. I'll take poetics over sludge.

sybil - Thank-you!

JMH said...

Exsil. As in, making cock-prints on the frosty window makes me feel exsil, but only when there's someone on the other side doing the same. Hopefully neither of us remember.

Anonymous said...

I like it - reminds me of Snowman's internal monologue in "Oryx and Crake."
I think I'll hang out here awhile. I like what I see. - G

John Dantzer said...

JMH - Cock-prints. Nothing you'd like to see on t-shirts.

Georgina - Thanks. I'll have to read Oryx and Crake. If it's anything like onyx and cake, then I will be in literary heaven.