Fox and I drove past the Evergreen cemetery on
Thursday night and parked in an old motel parking lot
(the one with the bright neon sign). I told him about
how I loved the idea of prayer candles because
there’s power that we grant ourselves when we perform
rituals, plus I liked to burn things. Then it gets late so
he says he should take me home. We take a short cut
through a poorly lit neighborhood when suddenly red
and blue lights shine behind us.  One cop goes to the driver’s
window and shines a bright flashlight inside the vehicle; two
more cops surround the opposite side of the car. They demand
identification and to know where we were going. We say we
are taking pictures and even show the lady our disposable
camera. “You know that this behavior is weird right?” “Yes but
the city is so beautiful at night,” we say. The cop asks me to get out
of the car. She leans down into my face, “Did you try to **** yourself
last Monday night?” “Yes,” I tell her. She writes something down.
“Okay, have a good night.” “You too, ma’am.” We drive away and he drops
me off at my apartment. I see that there’s a dead pigeon on my balcony.