Hey, Dum Dum! What if your
problem isn’t that you’re simply
being terribly misunderstood?
What if the riddle of the
disappearing humans...?
Come on, it’s not like this
is a revelation. Oh, honey.
Already realizing it’s not a
hole that you’re itching to
dive into...? And, no, that’s
a river you’d really prefer
not to ride (da Nile). So
buck up, Dunderhead! It’s
even worse than that, and
you know it. “Don’t I ever!”
Hush, now. Was apathy ever
born from empathy? It’s time
to sleep. A hermit’s nightmares
are filled with his people, long gone:
never givers, takers all. He drinks a
toast to conspiratorial concoctions
like family. To those on the spectrum
from handshakes to high fives to tightly-
squeezed hugs. Here’s to the ones who
never loved back. The invisible defenders
who show up every night, long after he’s
closed his eyes, only to disappear after
the curtain call that abruptly comes
once another night’s sleep gives way
to the reality of day; the cycle of a man
who wakes up, finds himself alone, sees
who he’s become. It’s a remake, a sequel,
the whole franchise of a nobody. This, each
morning, on repeat: again and again he feels him
self unravel, becoming more and more undone,
this poor man who’s always as good as done.
