decision 2000 (test copy)
decision 2000 (test copy)
by Dirk Michener
the next decision i make
will have happened in the year 2000
upon arriving back to my one-room
from x-mas break on a saturday evening
i’d forgotten to close the front door
and all my things were frozen solid
clothes, lamps, carpet, bedspread
all of it
the branches of my plants in chilly hibernation draped light green foliage along the kitchen floor
glasses of water sitting on the bathroom
sink slushed w/ice
houston was an alternative
its moisture heaved drapery froze equal heavy layers on the lungs
and after a while the numbness was all smiles
los angeles was yin w/its sliced beach caverns posted no rock thieving
and of course we had a bag full of rocks
in the car they were all accounted for
new york city…
fuck it.
Ultimately everything eludes me. Why “test copy”? Why shift in tense (“the next decision I make will have happened in the year 2000”)? “Its moisture heaved drapery froze equal heavy layers on the lungs” seems awkward and disconnected. Why “new york city…fuck it”, or why not? Stanzas two and four seem related by the ironic bad luck, presumably, of the former’s oversight and the latter’s disregard, but so…? For the emphasis on different cities, in what city did the first incident take place? Significance of the year 2000?
(test copy) sounds like “rough draft”, “unedited”. Maybe generally lacking proper punctuation. Unfortunate disconnection seems to be the overriding feeling.
i like the spill of this story. such a stylish travel guide.
self-inflicted ice age, freeze&melt to refresh.
i’m glad the rocks were all accounted for. accountability is very important.