neighbor

mister wagner in his buttoned sweater at dusk watering the lawn i remember he had a little mustache and a receding hairline but he probably didn't he was old and strange and could have been any age between twenty-five and eighty-five i watched him unsuspected from my own shadows and his wife came out on the porch herself a shadow in the twilight and said hurry up it's almost time for star trek

variations

for nooshin azadi three leaned over the rail two fell in one drowned one ran for help one was arrested one washed ashore one swam two sank three walked away one leaned over the rail two fell in three drowned three laughed three cheered three swam away one ran for help two reported her three arrested her three judges two jurors one jailer one sky one sun one cloud one river one boat three leaned over the rail

do

i'm sorry, ms sinclair there's no need to apologize, joey i was just doing what i do i understand it's what i do yes i have no choice of course i do what i do the doingness of the done the thing itself to do the thing that is imperative the imperative itself i told you i understand have you called the police? of course why else would i have handcuffed you? well to keep me from doing what i do no i called the police i had no choice i understand but you understand in turn the imperative doingness of what i do the done thing itself yes i think i hear the police outside now