odd little place
nestled
among
ohio’s hills
a general store
ran
by
the appearance
of
its owner
for
decades
upon
decades
as would be expected
everything
you might fancy
was
available
some things
i hadn’t seen
since
my youth
were
readily available
enamored
by
this relic of time
and
its owner
i asked
to take his photo
he said
most certainly
but said
just one moment
he went
into
another room
i noticed him
slicking down his hair
for
the picture
i
also noticed
a calendar
with
days x-ed out
after
taking his portrait
i
inquired
about the calendar
he said
i’m marking the days
till
my death
curious
i inquired
when might that be
he said
i don’t know
the marks
are to remind me
to celebrate
each day
as if
the
last
i’ve
just certified
my pet
as
my
emotional support animal
he will now
travel with me
and
hang out
no matter
where
i
go
and
there’ll be
no pet restrictions
and
no
additional fees
when
he joins me
on board
even
if
it’s an embraer 145
tho
i must admit
it was
a tight fit
during
the last flight
until
caesar
ate his lunch
those two passengers
were
annoying
anyway
but
not only does
he travel
with me
but
can reside
alongside me
in
my pet free apartment complex
according
to
the license
i received
from
a certified doctor
and
a mental health professional
documenting my absolute
right
to have caesar
by my side
day and night
oh there were
a few
complaints
from
the first three
apartment managers
who attempted
to remove caesar
and
i
from
our flat
but
well
let’s just say
that
caesar is a critter
of
few words
but
with a huge
appetite
in any case
the new manager
hasn’t
been up to the apartment
since
she arrived
it
might have been
that
grocery store incident
that
she saw
when we were
shopping
at the same time
but
that would just be
speculation
on my part
but
whatever
all this freedom
for
the two of us
only cost us
about
90 dollars
and
the whole process
was
conducted online
which was
probably
in the best interest
of
the certifiers
tourist items
manufactured in china
for
the local market
replicated
indigenous art
sold in
riverbank stalls
by
part-time natives
natives
carving out
an existence
in
a one percent world
complaints
issued
by
travelers
who’ve
already
sold their collective humanity
they are
the commune
of
anesthetized day-trippers
who
outline
verbally
over
an air-conditioned lunch
the crass nature
of
indigenous commerce
commerce
that
replicates
the
world
that provided
their passage
to
this
riverside
market
off
the boat
onto
the buses
port terminal
a sea of plastic coated
tour offerings
tantalizing leaflets
held
by
desperate hands
of
the local economy
fishermen
fishing for survival
casting nets
of
visual promises
to
tourists
seeking
a realistic taste
of
an imaginary life
found
only
in
brochures
published
as
bait
digital chum
tossed
into an internet sea
