the call

went in to work to make and bake the computers. Some take longer than others to set, lots of times it depends on the users. I get to meet and speak with lots of people so it doesn't get too routine, but then again it's work and I'd much rather be bating the crap out of my drums or guitars. Today had a weird call though, from a primary school. The principal calls me up and says "hey Dave - I have a situation and I need some advice and help,... could you come over directly?" She was sincere and not the usual frantic email withdrawal candidate, or my itunes crahsed my PC guy. On the way over I saw this very large murder of crows - the most I had ever seen - dozens of 'em and all cawing their guts out. It was loud and somewhat eerie.

I got to the school and Principal is standing there with a ancient LG phone. She began to tell me how this 1st grader was showing off the phone and pictures within. The pictures were of him holding a handgun, and when I looked, sure enough he was posing with a 9mm glock pistol. It could have been one of those replicas, you know how they have those that shoot air or water and look just like the real thing. I told her that I would try to get the pictures off the phone so that she could decide if she wanted to tell the parents. She told me she had, and Mom was coming to pick up the phone and the kid but had no plans to address the pictures or the fact that the child was 6 and showing his classmates in his special needs class those pictures. She was sure some legal or liable/libel issue had been crossed but wasn't so sure she had any rights to do anything other than call CPS (child protective services). I figured out how to bluetooth the pics to my work cell and then emailed those to her. I wanted to stay and shake the Mom, and hug the kid and destroy the system of repression and waste and futility and depression that could create this situation. Then I realized this may not be any of these things. I realized I could love and hate until I started to cry blood and spit piss and it would not change what I saw on that phone. I left the school and vowed to follow up but I don't know if I will, I don't think I can stand the truth.

I thought of the crows, of the cops, of the kids and wondered what happens after this.
I left work early and went to the edge of the US, the furthest point of coastline I could, the closest possible position I could get to the western horizon; and watched the sun set just like it does and will every single day for millions of years before and to come.

thickening layer of dust

I have just discovered,
quite by accident,
that I now need glasses
to see things closer
than 8 inches to my face.

Having had no need
to ever squint or pry
to ever look through any
sort of metaphor or sky
to sort out the fuzzy.

Not to be dramatic
or overly sensa-chromatic
or too megalo-frantic
but it made me whisper
'good-bye' to perfect vision
which will not return in this life

the doc made some silly jokes
about respectability
or rose coloured smoke
and I almost forgot to
politely laugh with him
and then it was over.

I ate indian food that night
and held all objects
at least a foot from my retinas.

(inspired by dustmagic).