11/10/2010

Movement


I tripped over a stick on the sidewalk in the park. Listen here, stick I said. I've had about enough of you. I picked the stick up and began snapping all the little twigs off of it. A policeman approached me. Excuse me, sir, but what is it that you think you're doing he said. Teaching this stick a lesson about vengeance I said. You're in direct violation of the law he said. This is assault. I'm going to have to take you in he said. Not before I'm done with this one I said, nodding my head in the direction of the stick. The policeman advanced on me, cuffs in hand, only to trip over the stick. Oh, funny guy, eh he said. He drew his revolver. You've got to teach these bad ones early, or they turn out like this he said. I nodded gravely. This one seems to be too far-gone I said. A real miscreant. Sad what this park has become he said. I met my wife here and I used to bring my children to play here. If I were ever to meet a wife and have our children play somewhere, it couldn't be this park now, with the state it's in I said. We both hung our heads and looked sadly at the stick. We simultaneously bent over and reached for the stick, grabbing it at the same time, and bumping our heads into each other's as a result. Wise guy, huh the policeman said, dropping his end of the stick and pointing his revolver at me. Though guy, I see I said, dropping my end of the stick and pulling my revolver out and pointing it at the policeman. From the other side of the park, a woman pushing a stroller came charging at us. In the stroller, she was carrying a shotgun. This was becoming a very interesting Tuesday afternoon.


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Fruit Juice


I'm part bear part human
but only I know this

the best way I can explain this
is I'm made up of some bear
parts and some human parts

for example
my stomach is bear
my arms are human

my lungs are bear
my knees are human

my kidneys are bear
my neck is human

everything that has to do
with my appearance is human

all of my inside-works
are bear

there is only one thing
that is half and half
and that is my brain

my human half brain
recognizes how sad I am
for being such a contradiction

my bear half brain recognizes
how delicious I look

I fall asleep scratching myself
until my skin is raw
every night


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Ideals


I was poisoned. I couldn't believe it when it happened, after the lengths I took to avoid something like that. It was either the glass of water, or the blueberry pancakes, or the bacon, either strip, or, it could have been all of those. An hour after breakfast I felt the poison metabolize in my guts and work it's way through my system. By noon, I had started sweating and pacing, thinking about nothing but poisonous snakes and spiders, and wondering which poison was used on me. I wondered if it attacked my central nervous system. I wondered which motor function would go first. I wondered if it had already begun, and I just didn't notice yet. I went to the bookstore and bought some volumes of medical journals, a book on poisons used by indigenous tribes in South America, and a funny book of poison-related jokes that caught my eye while walking to the register. When I got home, I told my wife one of the jokes. Oh, and, by the way, I've been poisoned, and I'm not sure when I'll die I said. Really, and after the lengths you take to avoid things like that my wife said. It's been years since then. I got the promotion, despite my ailment, with my charming knowledge of poison-related jokes. I traveled to South America and lived with a tribe for a month. There, they have this saying that has something to do with poison and souls. I'm not sure what it is, exactly, but I feel privileged to be part of something like that. I can't wait till the day I forget how to blink.


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Enchanting


I met Kimberly at the park, and the first thing I noticed was that her face was missing. What happened to your face I said. She shrugged, and some muscles in her face tensed and relaxed, which was sort of disgusting looking, on that smooth, fleshy patch where her face once was. I'll fix this right up I said, and began walking towards the makeup store, leading her by the hand. On the way, I bumped into Dane, who, apparently, was also missing his face. And what happened to your face I said. His face creased at the very middle and jiggled up and down a bit, which made my stomach turn, like upon seeing a deep wound on somebody else. Come with us I said, and put his arm on my shoulder, so that I could lead him. Tristan was at the corner store, shaking her flat, featureless face at the cashier, who seemed very alarmed. Come on with the rest I said, and put her hand on top of my head so that she could follow with the rest. Annabelle, Joey, Sterling, and Jacqueline were experiencing the same problem, and so I invited them to come with us to the makeup store as well. Chelsea, Kacy, Jeremy, Miguel, and Blaire also joined. I received my doctorate in both The Remaking of Faces and Common Household Makeup Solutions, but I never thought things would end up like this. I never thought I would have to lead a group of contorting, faceless beasts to the makeup store, all of them wanting to bite me, but without the mouths to do so.


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Timothy Wojcik is a student at Hendrix College, and he currently lives in Conway, Arkansas. This is his first publication. You can find his blog at http://loadedotter.blogspot.com