Damian's Dreams

Original

I have a folder of these on my phone... I'm not sure what that says about me!

-ancient roman posca: water, red or white wine vinegar, honey, salt, herbs (coriander, mint, thyme)

-switchel: water, ginger, vinegar, sweetener, lemon, salt

-ayran: yogurt, water, salt, mint

-sees the reports of the heatwave in Europe-

oh wow the glass-tower office buildings we constructed when we thought air conditioning and central heating would never have downsides...have downsides?

and we're still building them?

while the Victorian house museum where I work, with thick walls and small windows and big wooden shutters stays ~10 degrees above (winter) or below (summer) the outside temperature for days on end with no help at all?

uh. okay then

This morning,

I open my eyes to find only seven spoons

lying in a small, dented cup by my bed.

The world asks for twenty.

One spoon — just to sit up.

To blink against the ache in my joints,

to gather my breath and convince my heart

that gravity is worth the fight.

Two more — for a shower.

Steam curling over stiff shoulders,

the heat loosening nothing,

my hands heavy as wet towels.

One — to get dressed.

It takes all the grace I have

to pull fabric over skin

that burns at a whisper of touch.

Another — for breakfast.

Lifting the mug,

stirring the spoon,

pretending the taste matters more than the exhaustion in my jaw. 

One — for a phone call.

Because words weigh more than dishes,

and smiling through pain

Keeping up appearances 

is its own kind of heavy labor.

By noon, I am out of spoons.

The day still stretches,

hungry and demanding,

but my hands hold only air.

I borrow from tomorrow.

I always borrow from tomorrow.

And tomorrow will wake me

with fewer spoons in the cup.

I want that specifically so people can make it a meme to post pictures of themselves showing me stuff. Like memes off their phone.

Or maybe things that they are proud of but don't have anyone else to show them to. Like your school graduation papers, this cool knitting project you finally finished, your baby who's never going to see their grandparents.

And I also want a clause that they will absolutely fucking never put those anti-homeless things of any kind on my damn bench. So if there's ever someone who's got nobody else to keep them company, they can at least spend the night with me.

People at the former Bird Place have been saying that they would gladly watch a whole Minions film (even though they've never seen one before) if it also featured these ladies in an additional video box.