| Bearing
Thomas Robert Barnes |
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He ain't Teddy. He ain't Boo Boo. There's nothing cute about the guy in my kitchen. I smell him for days after running him off, scrub the counter and the stove where he stood to claw the cupboard and pee. It must be a worker or a gust that blew open the door. I halloo, "What gives?" No answer. Outside it begins to pour. Sometimes workers get gruff; they get hung over. When I turn the corner he towers above me, drooling, crazy-eyed. |
As firmly as I can I say, "Leave." He leans into the fridge, not quite ignoring me. We're both a little nervous. Time for me to go. I bang windows and shout. Soon enough he jumps, he lumbers, breaks the counter on his way out. It only takes an hour to wash away his scat, his muddy feet, but I feel his phantom for weeks pawing through my dreams. ____
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