Matt was dating Shana
Brad was mad about it
"Shana should be with me"
Matt and Brad went into
the field and then the woods
Talking like friends do
Pretense and all
Together they found a small box
with two buttons
Brad held the box first
and pushed the first button

Nothing happened

Both boys stared
"Nothing happened"
Brad pushed it again
"Nothing happened"
"Press the other one"
Brad pushed the second button
Something happened
He stared at the box wide eyed
"Nothing happened"
said Matt as he crossed his arms
Brad pushed the second button
again

"Nothing happened"
said Matt as he crossed his arms

"I need to test something"
Matt raised an eyebrow
and watched Brad sit the
box on the ground in the mud
"Hold on"

Down by the creek
Brad found a large rock
with a good weight
He crouched down
and stared into the trickling water
"Come over here, this is really weird"
"What the hell did you find?"
Matt traded places with Brad
and examined the spot at
which Brad pointed

Brad swung the rock against
the back of Matt's head
with force so great
blood splattered out
across his face
Matt fell slumped into
the trickling waters
Brad crouched over him
and kept swinging

one
two three
four five six
seven eight nine ten

"You"
"*******"
"You ******* ******"
"******* ******* ******"

Brad stood and stared down at the remnants of his work
dripping with the red running waters and bits of brain matter
that his best friend Matt had moments before held kept in his head

Brad breathed deeply
Pushed the second button

"Nothing happened"
said Matt as he crossed his arms
and put his hands into his pockets
Brad shoved the box into his sweatshirt pocket
"I can probably use it for parts"
He said

Later that night, Brad enjoyed eating the same slice of pizza
twelve or thirteen times while he was alone in his bedroom and
watching **** at the same time that he was messaging girls online

Brad never was a great thinker
but that night his head spun
around with ideas faster than
his writing hand could match

Such a. . .
Simple world in which you place your question
The one time you had ears perk up to listen
You had mentioned bodies (bodies)
Bodies. . .
Would you learn if I cut your lips for you?
Would you
stop, stop, stop or continue. . . if

You read all the spineless lines
spineless staring up so sad
from a page in the rain left fading fast?

Why is it that the ones you love the most
Usher in joy but always wind up ghosts?
Do what you can
With what you have
In seeking more
And you'll have it

Each small move
Moves the hour hand
(we float, not static in space)
Lives ornament the whole face
This much is apparent

After the fact
While waving
At miasma
With that same low face
As if you never knew better

Misery
Loves company
She and I
Thicker than thieves
Slicing through
Ourselves like teens
What happened to growth
What happened to hope?
We're too old
for this and
they all know
We're too old
for this and
we're the joke
but we caught on before you
and started playing the fool
so we could laugh along

Oh, it's all right if you say that you hate us
This is a symptom inborn
It is heart-worn and is carried through time
So it's all right when you say that you hate us
This carry-on carrion
Is our reward from your Heavenly Lord
So I guess that he messed up

Destiny
Sweet Destiny
Left us both
Too blind to grieve
Biting truths
Too impacting
Wherever we go
"Wherever is home?"
We're too old
for this and
they all know
We're too old
for this and
we're the joke
but we caught on before you
and started playing the fool
so we could laugh like everyone, ah, ha, ha

Oh, it's all right if you say that you hate us
This is a symptom inborn
It is heart-worn and is carried through time
So it's all right when you say that you hate us
This carry-on carrion
Is our reward from your Heavenly Lord
So I guess that he messed up

He really messed up

Hurt birthed into life by circumstance
Supernatural force
Tends to leave as it came with the wind
When wind's least expected
Who offers it solace?
Who is feeble enough?
Who bleeds internally as it expels?

Hide inside while you die, it's fine
This is just that familiar
Little death's breath
Wail real hard while it passes
Setting alight and burning tonight
You'll be fine in the morning

When your eyes open all the colors same
Change and thoughts rearrange
Until what's real looks different to you
To you
This world
I offer

Accept?