spent one day in the middle of a corn field
and wondered where all the popcorn went
and why my hands were bleeding
and maybe, possibly, contemplated screaming up at the sky
to beam me up, scottie
so i could look down and design my own crop circle
working out of the garage while measuring
how long it might take them to find what’s left of me
or whether or not there would even be a search
before some stench tipped off a neighbor
and they finally realized how long i had been gone
based on how much my cats had devoured me
i waited for the greyhound on the side of the road
before realizing that there was nowhere else to go
and i’ve seen it all
i’ve done it all
ready to call it a day and tell the grandkids to go outside
and play while i stay in here and take
my medicine to fall asleep
Fred Aiken Writing 