Matt Jaeger
PARAMEDIC
Three bodies
riddled
and he couldn't save them all.
Not enough
to go around.
One, two, three.
Which one?
Who should live
and who shouldn't?
He judged them
by their faces,
their sex,
their holed clothing,
and the shape of their fingernails.
Who looked worse?
And he decided.
The other two might
make it.
to the hospital.
They just might.
But this one,
his one
the chosen,
would not.
For sure,
would not,
he thought,
snapping on his glove.
Tempted,
he comes
twice a day
upon a memory
of a porch,
a skirt,
a bobbing leg,
a gin and tonic
with extra lime,
a bobbing leg,
a glimpse,
a smile.
TASTY CONDIMENT
first he put mustard
on his hot dog,
then on his hamburger
then in his potato salad
then on some scrambled eggs
then in his hand soap
then on the cat,
then on his pillow
then in his picture frames
then on his upper lip
then on his penis,
then on his 1040 EZ form,
then on his hope for the future.
PLACES YOU CAN SCREAM
in the backyard
startling the birds
at the dinner table
startling the kids
in the pool
startling the lifeguards
in the museum
startling the patrons
at the altar
startling the intended
in the courtroom
startling the jurors
in the lifeboat
startling the survivors
Top,
Cowboy,
Bowler,
Baseball,
Porkpie,
Coonskin,
Boater,
Deerstalker,
Hard.
None of them looked
good on him
because he had
no passion
or head.
Electric Man
stands by the pole
his hand on the pole
his other in the sky
pointing at the storm
“Here we go. Here we go.”
He will become famous for this
this lightning capture,
this surge into his muscles,
this reshaping of molecules,
this origin story,
though
it will kill
him before
he superheroes.
Clothes burned up,
wallet smoking,
leaving only an open-mouthed
smile.
the papers
name him
Electric Man
writing since 2019 · 7 entries · 6 days shown up
each square is a day—lit means Matt showed up.
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the words Matt reaches for
startlingelectricpolehandsmilestandsskypointingstormfamouslightningcapturesurgemusclesreshapingmolecules