the day we learned our cat was lactose intolerant.

I'd woken up several times through the night,

then finally at 5:30 with a dull headache.

I was turning 42, which felt like a Tuesday,

a half-full cup off coffee and a day of work.

We waited for it to rain.

Clouds came and went, then came back again,

but thunderstorms refused to materialize.

Our black cat slept exhausted on the humid porch

having evacuated his bowels repeatedly.

A Statistical Analysis

According to a recent report
my state ranks number 4
in methamphetamine arrests.


I will assume the stats are comparable
for drug related dental problems,
and basement lab explosions.


Though more difficult to measure,
I'd bet on a slight correlation in
feelings of fleeting invincibility and


corresponding crushing despair.