I woke up in pain
a sting, coming from my right hand
“Must of been a flee” I think
I roll over
trying to ignore the itch
Then I look at my hand
its disfigured and swollen
“Not a flee or a spider.”
There is no stinger
Then I look at the wall
four yellow jackets are crawling from a hole where I smashed my doorknob right through the plaster
“Dad, Mom, there are bees in my room! I got stung.”
“Well, suck up the bees with the vacuum and take a Benadryl.”
My dad has been killing bees and plugging holes in the house for the last two weeks
I took a Benadryl, started listening to psychedelic music, and began writing
After 2,000 words, I decided it was time to take a break
I went for a run around Lake Youngs
An animal left a dump in the public lavatory
I began jogging, hoping the poison would not go to my heart
It was hot, my hand began to ache
I decided to walk
This man roared up behind me in an all-terrain vehicle
“Do you need a lift?” He asked
“I’m good, thanks!”
The man was in a good mood and I was too
despite the heat, my exhaustion, and my hand being nearly twice its original size
In my car
I’ve been listening to The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.
I am not a Roark or a Keating.
I am a man who does not have a skill
I have no ambition, but I do believe that I will reach the top
Effortlessly
The universe needs to choose someone to make all the strivers feel bad
I’ve been chosen
I don’t shoulder the burden; it is weightless
When I get home, I watch a couple seasons of The Walking Dead Season 8
I smell smoke in the air
Fires in Eastern Washington
It is late, 8 PM
I decided to go for a walk in the dark, on the other side of the river
The evening is silent
I see the occasional fisherman who doesn’t make a sound
I keep walking until I hear voices
Two people are playing in the river, but they don’t see me
It’s getting dark now
I’ve reached the end of the trail
now it’s time to go back
I reach the couple once again
I walk right by the girl
“What was that? Hello, hello?”
“Who the fuck was that? Her boyfriend asks.
I keep on walking, feeling like a badass
It was a no win situation.
If I had stopped and said “hello”, the girl would have freaked out and jumped through her skin
So I didn’t let this bother me and I kept walking
I reach the bike trail
A biker turns on his light
and rings his bell
I move off to the side
It’s my friend’s dad
He’s gone before I know it
and I’m glad
I just wanted to walk by myself
I gaze up at the crescent moon
the smoke has turned it red
Now I’m going to get work done
My writing has made me powerful.