A.G.E's Joint

It piles high. The detritus of our youth Objects that once meant the world Tossed in the open air storage unit. Animals and toy cars that meant much Are now soaked and mildewed Now return to the dust. Just like us.  

The wail of the ambulance carrying the Mother was fading as Murray pulled up. Parking behind the line of cruisers, he surveyed the scene. Madonna and child, Murray thought as the paramedics worked on the little girl. Her torn, puffy face reminded him of a discarded cabbage patch doll , patched with gauze and tape. A scarlet stain was oozing from a scrape on her arm. A cervical collar no bigger than a large washer was placed around her neck, then they loaded her up in cheery yellow ambulance.  “Where’s she going?” “Scottish Rite. Hope traffic is light. She’s stable right now, but that could change.”  How about the Mother? “She went to Grady. Pretty bad head injury, but she was coming to when we loaded her.” With that, the door slammed shut.Several uniformed officers herded the crowd to the side so they could get through.    One of the relatives took him aside and in broken English asked if they would be alright. There was nothing to say. It certa

The parking lot had turned into a macabre fiesta. Dia De Muerta on a bright spring day. Sirens mixed with mournful Latin songs echoing everywhere. Blue and red strobe lights contrasted with the yellow crime scene tape cordoning off the area where the bodies were. Only, there was no dancing and no masks,just a multitude spoken prayers for the fallen. They rose like eagles as the ambulances left with the victims. Soon, shouts of blood lust and revenge rung out in several languages, reverberating off the dirty brick walls.  Sitting on an overturned paint bucket, the small, dejected man watched in the shadows of the empty apartment. The Psychic’s vision was coming true. Mother had reached down from the sky and put that fucking little bitch in front of his car. Sarah pulled away at the last moment, just like in his nightmares . Jeremy can’t be successful, Mother’s voice boomed in his head. He isn’t worthy of anything. A total failure, stuck in the middle without any

Jeremy turns into the complex and slides down the hill unnoticed. Beige exterior blending into the background, the car looks better than those it passes. But that detail never matters. It is mission go and he is outside himself. Roasted pulled pig all over the ground. Glorious, Glorious it will be. Slowly, he directs the car across the rubble. The stars are perfectly aligned . He can feel it. They way he has it set up, not even the Behavioral Assessment unit working together would figure this out. It will be a banging good show. A stray daffodil struggled in the cracked pavement, shining in rebellion to despair. Filtered sunlight glinted off cracked panes, the decaying brick buildings showing the ghosts of the past. A petite woman negotiates her way across the lot, laundry on hip, and a small girl attached to the other. Another day spent in their field of diamonds . Simple errands accomplished without the fear of assault.   Such a luxury compared to the villages they came fr

Blue eyes obscured by the wrinkles of the night stared back from the mirror. The morning ablutions still had to be done, whether he wanted to or not. Soundlessly, the razor slid down the cheek and along the jaw line and returned. No stubble, no hangover. Some idiot in the Army told him that. A clean shave erased all of the sins of the night. Yeah, Murray, keep fooling yourself. You ain’t getting any younger.  Looking up, he saw her face in the mirror. She came up from behind and held him. “You were up all night, you know that?” Kissing the freshly shaven skin, she savored the mix of mint, booze and man. Ashamed, he turned away. He had let her down again. How does she put up with me? “Yeah.” Forcing him around to face her, she threaded her arms under his. The remains of her Chanel began to seep in. In spite of himself, he was content.  “Walter, you need to take a break.” Taking the towel from the rack, she slowly dried the craggy face.  “But the Pa