1.
There’s a hurricane veering this way. It’s coming from Cuba, blowing the fruit from the ladies’
hats. Everyone must tango through the air. The Malecon rattles like a xylophone.
It went thru Haiti, blew away the last dirt, blew away the charcoal made from the last tree, and
the bright colors from the paintings.
2.
It did not blow away my dysfunction, but maybe that’s not necessary. My brain chemistry is
being changed by science. Pain beckoned science, let it in.
Mysterious prohibitions still prevent me from bathing and changing my clothes. My shrink says:
To increase motivation, go roll in the mud.
I agree: that would be a good field trip, and the results would include hiding my fat. Wait! That’s
not fat. It’s chocolate, reincarnated.
3.
Once my brain chemistry’s really right, really A-OK, I’m going to take on some projects. My
first major life project will be to wake up in the middle of the night, go to Facebook, and friend
every person who complains of insomnia or not getting enough love.
Following that: to friend everyone who complains of being abused in minor ways, not being
punched in the head or tortured with burning cigarettes, just the small stuff, like having to sit
next to a smelly rabbi with a big hat on a long subway trip, in a car so crowded the complainer
can’t even get out of her seat to move elsewhere.
Then, on a happier note, I’ll friend every woman whose profile pic is a picture of glossy red or
purple lips (presumably their own, but maybe not, maybe someone more attractive) or a male
model with his tongue protruding in a suggestive way.
After that, I want to figure out something I can do to help humanity.
——
Work by Mitchell Krockmalnik Grabois appears in magazines worldwide. Nominated for numerous prizes, he was awarded the 2017 Booranga Centre (Australia) Fiction Prize. His novel, Two-Headed Dog, based on his work in a state hospital, is available for Kindle and as a print edition. His poetry collection, THE ARREST OF MR. KISSY FACE, published in March 2019 by Pski’s Porch Publications, is available here. Visit his website to read more of his poetry and flash fiction.