BILL OF LADING
Contents received by Charon, Inc. for shipping via sea freight, for deliveryTo the nearest available port of the far shore, consigned to receiver or receiversUpon payment of all freight costs, duties, tariffs and taxes by said receiver(s):
1 episode of attempted petty larceny, to wit, a large bag of M & Ms, returned to shelves1 aggravated assault on blood relation, to wit, Cain vs. Abel with alternate ending1 Harmony Stella guitar, requested for Christmas 1965, purchased used summer 20081 loaf of buckwheat oatmeal bread, edible, after numerous discarded attempts1 recipe for Shiraz cranberry sauce, secret ingredients missing1 moment of hesitation, preceding 13 months of celibacy and furtive longing for that waitress3 names of saints who never answered urgent letters, supplications, and oaths for a guitar3 times, minimum estimate, being told by friends “I think your cat is answering your phone”4 poems published as first drafts, preceding uncounted years of unfounded optimism4 separate games of pickup basketball when everything flowed and fell, 2 of same on drugs5 separate arguments with one or both parents ending in tears, physical discipline, disowning5 related acts of forgiveness by all parties, attached to5 acts of forgetting by two of the three parties6 summer jobs funding 4 years of college, unknown quantities of beer, marijuana, hashish8 years of psychotherapy discussing above items 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, various items below13 years of devout Irish Catholic guilt, preceding secular acceptance of same14 years waiting out the descriptors “chubby” and “husky” while plotting revenge19.5 years of virginity ending when that girl’s roommate finally spent the night with her T.A.20 years not realizing he was circumcised20 years of tending to a cat named Mouse who would answer a ringing phone with a chirp28 years not really understanding what an augmented chord is and being too proud to ask30 years, minimum estimate, mispronouncing “capo,” “apothegm,” and “amphora”45 years wondering if his father’s hairline would be handed down to him47 years of knees that always took stairs two at a time, followed by a preference for elevators55 Miles Davis albums filed in order of release, spines scratched unreadable by above cat Mouse60 years spent wondering if the tedium would ever end or where did the time go
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Photo by Marco Bianchetti on Unsplash