cacophony
the man on the bus says kiss-kiss. the man at the park says if you want my newspaper i will give it to you, you don't want? tom says the place was called tortilla flats. i say 'i had this dream' and i trail off. eric says his back hurts worse. the girl at the coffee shop says, i only take the bus these days. i say smells and auras can be the same. i say, do you know this song? customers say 'i have a long way to walk.' an old woman hands me american express and says 'i am 88, i know about health.' she thinks i will die of cancer. old men think i look like bettie page. europeans always ask about the tax. the lady at the store says fourteen days keep the tag on. i say please and thank you. 'because the weather is so nice,' we all say. because we don't have healthcare we all say we are dying of horrible diseases. want ads always say 'experience' and some say they will go back to school. rich said 'i have a giant flood and a very pregnant wife.' i say excuse me and 'isn't it all an obstacle course.' i say i don't know what i'm doing with my life and i'm starting to mean it. the man at the bodega gave me a corona bottle opener when i protested. he said, you think it should be cheaper? i used to say 'i'll give you four dollars' and walk away with a belt. eric says isn't that skirt too short? tom says there is yogurt if i want it. anna says 'you're doing pretty good.' this one man always says 'do you remember me?' and i remember him solely by those words. he says 'do you live in new york?' and i say 'where else?' old friends say they thought i was dead. we all say 'what's new' and we never say what is until it is already old. i love you, i say. i repeat what i know by hearsay. i honestly mean it this time.