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.