Infectious Mold

by Fred Aiken

subconscious thoughts are so hard to keep inoffensive,

I’ll be minding my business, watching television or attempting to read a book,

and then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, without warning, a complete surprise I’d say,

but I get this overwhelming urge to yell out expletives in an empty room

while no one watches or hears or pays attention,

nunca escuchando,

while I become mold on the wall, spreading