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Poems to Waxman S2, E1

Welcome Back, Waxman

By Kira DeSomma Published 3 years ago 1 min read
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“I am drowning” says the drowning man. So I tiptoe down the rocks, past the ducks, the crusted skins of unfortunate dead frogs, the dried goose shit, and I peer at him.

“Are you sure you are drowning?” I ask him. There was a time when I would have jumped in the water for this stranger, would have pulled the water like a woolen blanket around my shoulders. Things have changed. There is disease now amongst my people, there is famine and drought and war. We cannot afford to save just anyone, after all. We cannot afford to laugh, speak poetry aloud. We cannot afford the crusts of white bread or the jingling of arcade games. We cannot afford much at all, it would seem.

“Yes. Quite sure I am drowning.” says the drowning man. I decide, rather fondly, that he looks like his name would be Tim or perhaps Sheldon. God, but I cannot stand any man named Sheldon. Not after all that unfortunate business with the --

“Why did you go swimming if you cannot swim?” I ask the drowning man. I rest my chin in my palm. He flails, gurgles, and I am reminded of a time when we lived in tin foil hats and ate hot pockets out of their casings, because we did not have the time nor the energy to do dishes. I have always done the dishes. Not recently, though, of course not recently. What do we eat now…? Mostly we just drink from rusty pipes and grind our teeth down to gunpowder.

He slips under the water, bobs and fizzes like a bath bomb, bubbles coming out every which way. I forget if that is a good sign. I clear my throat.

“I said, ‘why did you go swimming if you cannot swim’? You are not even in a bathing suit.”

Waxman, it feels good to speak to you again, if I may. It has been so very, very long. It has been, in fact, too long. Where have you been, in fact? Where did you go? Well, it doesn’t matter, cheer up. You’re here now. That’s what counts.

fact or fiction
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About the Creator

Kira DeSomma

Author. Artist. Earl Grey Enthusiast // She/her // Joypunk and/or hopecore

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