and I'm crashing into his fat stomach
and I'm going over my handlebars
and I've got his neck in my hands
and we're flying toward the ground
and I'm digging my fingers into his skin
and he's yelling and trying to choke me
and I'm slapping his hands away
and I've got my fingers in his collar
and I'm throwing him
and he's sideways in the air
and he's hitting a tree and bouncing
and hitting the ground
and I'm still mad
and I take his keys from his car
and throw them over the trees
and they don't make a sound as they fly away
It's late, I'm pedaling home
and I lock my bike in the garage
and I gulp some water and I'm in bed
and my wife's complaining
and I'm already asleep
It's morning, I'm brushing my teeth
and I feel weird like my brain's too big
and something's poking out of my gums behind my teeth
and I spit blood into the sink
and I leave for work
It's after noon, I'm at work
and someone's talking
and I can't remember what this meeting's about
and the thing inside my mouth keeps throbbing
and I can't stop poking at it with my tongue
and I hear a snap like a pen breaking
and I look down and my pen's broken
and everyone's looking at me
and I can't think of anything funny to say
and I wave but with the wrong hand
and everyone's looking at the blue on my hand
and my face is too hot
and my tongue's too big
and my throat is closing
and my boss is looking at me like I'm stupid
It's late, I'm on the bus
and it's loud and people smell
and don't use headphones or manners or breath-mints or inside-voices
and I'm wishing I could stick my head out the window
and get some air or scream or puke
and I'm trapped in the very middle of the very back
and I'm wishing the driver would crash
and make them all hit their faces on the seats in front of them
and swallow their own blood
and their teeth
and broken facial bones
and I'd fly right past them
and punch out the front window
I'm home, it's late
and my dinner's cold
and my wife is mad
and she's yelling 'cos I'm selfish
and she's going out
and I'm hanging out with the baby
and she's laughing
and I'm laughing
and I'm tickling her
and tossing her high
and I have to remember to take it easy 'cos she's getting too close to the ceiling
It's late, I'm awake
and my wife is home
and she's stumbling around downstairs
and my face is getting hot
and my chest is hurting
and I roll over
and pretend to sleep no matter what she says
It's early, I'm outside
and it's cold
and it's still dark
and there's a man
and he smells and he won't shut up
and he reaches in my pocket
and I hit him
and his feet are up
and his teeth are flying
and I drag him between buildings
and twist his arm around
and it comes off
and I wash my hands in the snow
I'm on the bus, I'm starving
and my head hurts
and I can't remember why my arms are so hairy
and the thing in my mouth is screaming
and I'm poking at it with my tongue
and it pops
and I'm gagging
and I'm off the bus
and I'm in the bushes
and I'm puking but there's nothing coming out
It's lunchtime, I'm at work
and it's someone's birthday
and I'm wishing them a happy whatever
and everyone's staring at me
and my hands have cake all over them
and I'm starving so I go back to my desk
and I'm licking my hands off
and I hear laughing
and my chest is hurting
and I pick up the phone but there's more laughing
and I bite it until it breaks
and I'm hiding my head
and I'm drawing pictures of people I hate
and I'm scribbling them out when anyone comes near
It's late, I'm riding the bus
and I'm mad
and my phone is ringing
and I'm not answering it
and I know who it is
and I know what time it is
and I know where I'm supposed to be
It's dark, I'm walking
and I'm thinking
and I'm spitting blood
and I'm starving
and some lady's following me
and she keeps touching me
and I make a noise that means 'get away'
and she's screaming
and she's running
and I'm chasing
and she's in my hands
and I jumped a fence
and swam to the bottom of the river
and I put her under a rock
and took a few bites after she was still
It's late, I'm home
and my wife is yelling
and I'm in bed
and I'm tired
and I don't care about the mud everywhere
and I'm tonguing the new thing in my mouth
and I'm happy cause I closed my ear flaps
and I can't hear any yelling
and all my stomachs are full
It's dark, I'm awake
and it's late
and the baby's laughing cause my fur is tickling her
and I'm laughing
and I'm tossing her high
and I'm being careful with my claws
and my wife is there
and she's screaming
and I'm jumping through the window
and the cops are shooting but their bullets don't hurt
It’s night, I'm running
and the baby's snuggled up in my pouch
and the city is shrinking
and the yelling is gone
and the mountains are growing
and the forest is silent
and I'm hunting
and we're eating
and she's sleeping
and I'm watching the moon from inside our cave
and I'm trying to remember our names.
Matthew W. Sandvik lives in Minneapolis, MN with his wife and daughters and cats. He writes, paints, makes films, loves horror movies and loud music, he studies English at the University of Minnesota. @MSNDVK.
