a brief lesson in cool start lifting weights in your yard

keep the goal line in view find a stripper fall in love

quick primer on pills don’t sell to men in blue hats

keep the fuzz off your back old clients no referrals

here’s some advice from a man who never quite did it right

fell down that hole and kept on plunging deeper into darkness

deeper into darkness, darkness was my calling

fractured both legs and kept on running further into darkness

darkness all involving

motorcycle repoed car needs work to body

deeper into darkness your stripper left for college

out of work early bought ice at the market

further into darkness late to the party

there’s a price for the fool who never quite did it right

a quick lesson in failure start lifting your car

Left the workplace in a hurry. You received a call shortly before lunch and you seemed nervous after. You left food in the break room refrigerator which is very out-of-character. You proceeded to speed down 787 which is not at all out-of-character. But when you arrive home you decide to keep the car roaming. You parked in a supermarket parking lot a few blocks away and listened to public radio. The station was doing a fund drive and it was annoying. There was snow on the ground, but it was about a week old. And in upstate New York that makes the ground the same color as the shitty winter sky. Things were really bleak.

The heat in your car makes your lips dry so you go into the supermarket. It’s a low-end grocery store and the shelves are poorly stocked. All the packaged food is unhealthy and all the food looks bad. You walk around for almost ten minutes looking for an avacado before you realize this market doesn’t carry avacados. You settle for a package of corn ships and a can of chili. Then you realize you need a can opener. It’s okay, you needed one for the house anyway. In the checkout line you listen to a couple talk about their child like he’s a termite infestation. They seemed to want to go home even less than you do.

You left the car in the lot and walked to the park. It’s mostly homeless people but one mother is trying to get her child to enjoy the terrible snow. You feel embarrassed opening a can of chili but then realize the company you’re in and decide it doesn’t matter. After you dump the chili into your bag of corn chips you realize you don’t have a fork. For a desperate moment you consider using a stick, but ultimately decide to go without utencils. By the time you’re done you should be embarrassed. Your face and your coat are stained with chili. The phone starts to ring but your fingers are so messy you hesitate to pick it up. When you see who called you’re glad you missed it. The mother and her miserable, cold child seem to be judging you.