COMMUNITY


by Matthew Savoca

i lived alone for a year

and then a week.

mailman,

who do you live with?

i have always lived alone.

does he know you are stealing my letters?

MY NEW YEAR'S

it's new year's eve.
my wife just discovered ebay.
she's buying a camera.
harrison ford and i are talking
about how much we hate the internet.
we have so much in common.
both former carpenters, for example.
i touch his shoulder and giggle
can i get you a beer, harry?
there is no beer in the refrigerator
so i get him a glass of rice milk
when i come back, the living room is empty.
harrison ford left because i called him harry.
how could i have been so stupid?
i go into the kitchen and pour the rice milk in the sink.
i get a beer out of the refrigerator and open it.
the cat is licking the sink.
i go to the bathroom and open the door.
when i open the door, i see harrison ford.
he's taking polaroid pictures of my wife.
she's naked in the tub.
i close the door and go into the bedroom.
i sit on the bed and pour the beer
all over my pillow.
i lay my head on the pillow.
with one ear i hear the sound of beer + oxygen.
with the other i listen closely to the shudder.
i fall asleep.
when i wake, the year is new.
i think, "i made it."

THEN VS. NOW VS. THEN

i try to measure the passage of time against itself.
we buy plane tickets for march 19th.
it's december 20th.
i don't really know how long that is
so i think about three months ago.
three months ago was september.
i can't think of anything that happened in september.
i think of august.
in august i was at home.
i think about that.
i think about now.
it feels like a long time.
i think again about september.
i try to remember something about september.
no.