The guy I work with
The CEO of my company is on$10.7 million a year.
He did a floor walk today. He
glanced at me for less than
half a second. I worked out that he's
on $41,152 a day.
Then worked out his glance at
me was worth about
$7.80.
I feel ripped off.
That was a
crap glance.
Drunk
The moon strays unanchored toearth, its light tangling through theblack. A cat follows you halfway home.Someone says something,somewhere, somehow.Then a sea and tide of beer as the froth pullsquick, tugging back around yourankles in the dark shallows, theoptical illusiondragging you over —a great ship belly up —moon looking on.Then that damn cat skitspast again.Meow.
My favourite creatures
Cats are a slinky, fluid substance — furryliquid. A spill on your lap. You can pour acat into an empty fish bowl.
Crows are bolted to reality, hard-featheredambling bolted to time — even in flight —silhouette stamped into the sky.
Humans simply fill spacethen open up — big gaping chasms —and fall backward into themselves.
But you — you are a creatureand I love you.
Squashed on a train, peak hour
Business men who crack their
knuckles inches from
my gut. A balding woman on the
phone thanking HR for
30 days stress leave before
slurping on a plastic squeeze-pack
of mayonnaise.
Off the train now and there’s
a taxi on fire, doors chimneyed
open, the
driver blank faced — lost in the
middle of the road —
elsewhere with his
cigarette.
A young guy asks me by the
bus stop terminal if I know anyone who
wants to buy 'shoes' — in the
middle of the state’s Ice epidemic.
A jet engine ceilings overhead —
its shadow presses across
a broken bassinet on the nature strip.
I get home and find a
letter for an ex-tenant demanding
thousands of dollars to creditors.
This is all unlike my ex-tenant's
mail in my last suburb,
letters demanding why
they hadn't re-subscribed to the
Melbourne Symphony
Orchestra.
Perhaps I'll subscribe?
My Grandpas were respectively: a Boxer/Council worker and a coal shoveling Navy Man. And although I’m large enough to fill either of their boots, I’m so very precious, brittle and tediously middle-class. I check to see if I’ve bitten my nails properly.
I could fall apart at any
moment
Motivation
Last night I realised creativity wasn'tsomething I did as an indulgence norsomething I do on the side or toearn money or towin an award or forfun or avocation or forrecognition or todabble with or for alaugh oroptional or tomake others happy or forstrangers to ponder at a convention or as aKey Performance Indicator