A Long Walk

After class on my way to the parking lot, I pass through a near-deserted corridor of food venues and shops.

Coffee? ... too late.

Bagels? Cookies? ... too many calories.

Newspaper? ... too depressing.

Magazine? ... too much work.

Artwork? ... the swirl of color in Klimt's “The Kiss” ... but no, not for my wall.

Valentines? ... none for the old man in the reflection.

Book? ... I pass on Playmates of 1965 – let the young men worship these seemingly ageless women.

But I buy Graham Greene's A Life in Letters that reveals his loves, betrayals and struggles with depression. He writes, “Cure the disease and I doubt whether a writer would remain."

winter evening –
the starter motor’s
grinding noise

R. Rasmussen, Published in Bottle Rockets, #22, February 2010.