Only the Dead Will Rest

A man takes a shower

Puts on a suit and goes to work, recording his mileage

He comes home, warms up leftovers and watches the television

Makes paltry conversation with his wife

After a while he goes to bed and the alarm clock and routine are reset for tomorrow

Another man ties his shoe with a broken lace

He pulls yesterday’s newspaper around his body and shuts his eyes

He will eat nothing and witness another man capture and eat a rat

He urinates in a city planter box while statistics look but don’t see

Numbers without faces

A girl at a party smokes a joint

It is her first time

Her eyes glaze

John approaches her and she can’t find the right words

He is confused and walks away with friends

She will have sex with Danny an hour later

Another girl does not drink

She studies and never goes to parties

She achieves top honours upon graduation

A job is offered and she works 14 hours a day

This will go on for 15 years

At the age of 35 she will look 55 and feel 65

She will be rich

A dog cools his belly on the concrete steps

The afternoon sun begins to creep slowly into his shade

He is unaware

He watches his master

Who toils beneath the same blazing sky as he cuts the lawn

A woman fills her car with fuel

The price is $1.17 a litre

She watches another woman on a bicycle ride by as the fuel pump clicks off

The woman pulls the nozzle from her vehicle

She pinches the fat at her waist

A bike could help with that