Cigarettes and Summer

The car smelled like
cigarettes and summer.

The wind was wonderful
and unbearable. You could
scarcely get a breath.

Shielding our smokes
with the three far fingers,
we made it work,
leaning behind the dash,
or a seat, to take a hit.

Beastie Boys bumped
a ridiculously sampled
Paul's Boutique
from the stereo.

We may have been young.
It may have been yesterday.

Time Lapse (mathematics pt. 3)

For a long time, everything happened
"about 10 years ago" when I told a story,
"I used to deliver pizzas" or I once went
to Hoover Dam, or Key West, or San Fran.
But now it is easily 25 years ago
the last time I set foot in Texas,
20 years ago since my last factory job,
15 years since I moved back from Colorado.
10 years since I married the love of my life.
Such is the mathematical shift
in my storytelling.

Rocket (mathematics pt.2)

My son, James, is working on his Rocket Math.
This is the name for his speed solving
of multiplication, then division problems.

We use flash cards for practice. I am
brushing up on my own speed solutions,
but I am the asshole with the answers.

Upon Considering New Year's Resolutions (mathematics pt. 1)

I guess
I always wanted
to be a solution.

I have a few ideas
regarding the reasoning
behind this.

You and I
don't have the time
to go into it.

You're welcome.