On my way out today,
I started my hybrid
nothing but a hum.
Not like the cars I
grew up with, loud,
gas guzzlers. This
one is quiet—
silence
is golden and if
I had a gold sticker
I’d give it one.
My wife is having cramps;
non menstrual, she said,
“The pain comes in waves.”
Waves are the heartbeat of our world,
I could listen to them for hours, I feel
centered with the
rhythm of the ocean’s sound.
Somehow, the conversation was
redirected to constipation,
but she said that she
had a bowel movement already,
so constipation was ruled out.
Andrea asked me, what kind
of medicine I was going to get at
Safeway? Sarcastically—I replied,
stool softener.
It became a heated argument, I don’t
Know, I finally replied.
I’m not a doctor.
I’ll ask the pharmacist?
I took three boys, Alex, Levi, and Drake.
We loaded up on my grey Prius and fired up
my playlist. It’s nice to start off with,
Cab Ride For Cuties,
“Soul meets Body”,
loud and acoustically clear.
Every drum beat crisp.
We drove in silence down 20,
Listening to the sound of music
Juxtaposed with snow capped mountains,
It was visually fantastic audio ecstasy.
When we arrived, I went straight to
the pharmacist, told her all that I knew
of my wife’s condition. She recommended
stool softener.
I laughed and said, that’s what
I had prescribed, earlier. If I get that
they’re going to think, I didn’t even try.
On the way out of the store,
a heavy set man was panting,
trying to catch his breath.
I knew he was in trouble.
He was frozen,
holding onto his cart
and breathing exceedingly
loud.
I heard people’s commotion and someone
said, “the paramedics are on the way.”
We walked to Whole Foods, to get
lentils.
Whole Foods is across
the way from Safeway.
I found Spanish Brown lentils,
I checked out as I smiled at the cashier.
On our way back home
the song, Ramble On,
came on.
The sound was clear
with Jimmy’s guitar riffs,
John’s precision drumming and
John Paul’s rhythmic bass—
complementing Robert’s sensual voice.
I commented to the boys,
“They don’t make music like
that anymore, that’s why
they’re gods.”
In my thoughts, I was thinking
about that poor man, gasping for air.
I wonder if there was
anything I could have done?
When we left Whole Foods,
the paramedics were already
there. It was the second day of
January and already for him it
was a bad year.
He was old and heavyset.
I told the boys, when you’re
old and heavy you’re body
can’t take the pressure.
Then I remembered that
actor from Spartacus.
He was well built,
trim, athletic and handsome.
He died after the first season.
He was in his 30’s.
I spoke to the boys, “see, it
doesn’t matter if you’re
old and fat, you can be
young and trim.”
When it’s your time to go
nothing can stop it.
There’s no secret to life—
You just have to live everyday
as a gift.
They’re familiar with the topic,
Their father is battling cancer,
as we speak.
You never know when your time
will come? We all agreed.
We all said it solemnly,
under our breath.
A profound conversation
about death, my nephews
and I had:
Existential dilemmas—
a topic Sartre would’ve
been proud of—
a discourse about mortality and existence:
A perfect contrast
between honest
questioning, a magical song,
and a country drive
in snow covered fields.
while Robert’s voice
sings about
moonlit autumn trees
and
rambling on…
My Words 