A Noose of Injection Molded Plastic
by shawn misener

He trudged home from work
and stuffed his magic under the couch
where soon a moldy rainbow would emerge
spreading cocaine and kool-aid sprinkles
across the avocado shag carpet

He sat there under the influence of darvocet dreams
lacing together words with boogers and spit
while his children experimented with motion sensors
and his wife re-invented herself in lavender dresses

He watched supermarkets explode in pink flames
vanity dolls and mini plastic pets impaling innocent people
and he pissed cheap coffee into a tin can and sipped it intently
thinking: If I punish myself today
there will be no room for anybody else to hurt me tomorrow

He slapped the top of the television when it flickered
and marveled as the hounds ran off with the rabbit ears
while gently through the digital fuzz a bearded mouth
threatened to kill him and his family in the name of God

He took his money and ripped it with geometric precision
stuffing tiny shreds of green into his ears and nose and mouth
eventually forgetting to breathe before they could get to him
bursting at the seams with cash and sucralose residue