Giggle

My hands clamp over my widening mouth
And I draw a slow, deep breath through my nostrils
A few of the neighboring heads turn toward me
With questioning eyes
“What happened?”
“What’s so funny?”

Fortunately the professor missed my giggle
I would be hard-pressed to explain
What he said wasn’t exactly funny
But it tickled my brain

My mind, like my neck
Is very sensitive

Different pressures and textures
Elicit goose bumps or squirming
The caress or scratch
Unknowingly bestowed

Fear not, first row residents
You did not miss a professorial joke
Or droll, dry observation
Your inner imp is having a picnic
With mine, in the left hemisphere
And their espresso just kicked in

Way To Go

My sarcastic morning greeting
When I awaken at 1
And my first class started at 10
Was is worth it?
Absolutely not!
I didn’t really need to know
How two clichéd characters
Beat all obstacles in the name of love
I returned, for the moment
To that cycle of old
Where the escape from my failure
Prevents later success
Romeo and Juliet
Are easier than the OSI Model
For a time, my greatest ambition
Is to vicariously be loved for all that I am
But creeping daylight pulls me
From my fantasy
While anxiety and fatigue duke it out
For the grand prize that is my day
The belt fits fatigue nicely

Sentient Beings

The obnoxious runt knew it
Never tell me
That animals don’t understand us

He knew when I was deciding his fate
And his bulging eyes begged me
To spare his life

He knew when the decision was made
And he avoided me
Like the Grim Reaper himself

He knew where we were going
When I took him to the vet
And he turned his head away

He knew what the vet was going to do
And he tried to stay in his cage
Until we drug him out

As his shivering body stilled and grew cold
The monster’s heart broke
The ogre cried

As I sobbed
And stroked his lifeless body
I knew the chill of my own evilness

A Midnight Dialogue

“Who left all of these dishes in the sing?”

Oh, I guess the ball game let out early

“What?”

Wait, I’m confused now! I thought she lived next door

“I think our kitchen is haunted by the dish ghost”

Maybe he turns the lost socks into moldy bowls

“We need a new cleaning schedule”

How many days can the average human live without on?

“These leftovers are sick!”

Let me know if they need a ride to the Health Center

“I’m too tired for this. I’m going to bed”

Your mom goes to bed! Wait… never mind. Sleep well

And

With one syllable,
I can link two thoughts,
or actions,
or descriptions.

I can prolong my tale
or start a new one.

Conjugations are intended
to connect related objects,
but sometimes I
am the only one
who understands
what that segue is.

How was a rail car
joined to a tram
at this Conjunction Junction?

Perhaps you missed
the boarding call
for my mental TGV.

Or maybe,
just maybe,
I was enjoying my own alto prattle.