less pub than brothel and you the regulars or the wild turkeys are not what they seem

last night, i dreamt there was an eight-inch tall transparent plastic pepper grinder, three-quarters full of black peppercorns, sitting upright on the bed next to my pillow. the realization was so startling, i immediately woke, feeling around the place where the dream pepper grinder had stood, realizing it wasn't there. i laid awake wondering about that one for some time

much later, just before my final awakening, the one that brought me here, i dreamt i was forced by the state of the world to carry a worn wooden spatula with me everywhere i went, scraping a thin dry crust of egg, the kind left around the edge of a pan after scrambled eggs are cooked just a little too long, removing it from every surface i encountered