Author Information
Old Man's Hysteria
A clock blinks/sirens like an evacuation
signal infiltrating a dream. In a sweat,
he swings forward, gasping scabrously.
Inches from his thigh, a spring unwinds/
pierces through the mattress. In reaction,
as if escaping a near explosion, he dive
rolls leftward, placing weak forearms in
danger. He then scuttles toward a door.
The doorknob burns his palm. The hinge
nails blast outwardly. The door opens its
mischief-shaped lips/eyelids, and scuffs
toward him. Stoutheartedly, he scampers
past its belligerence, towards the outlet.
The ceiling crackles, dropping a sizzling
sawdusty substance as if interspersed
from a volcanic eruption. Footprints dig
deeper into a floor desolidifying to putty,
until he manages to sling himself against
the front door. He looks into the peep-
hole to notice the sky shaking/darkening.
Swiftly, he jets out. A sports car gnarrs
its engine and burns/streaks its rubber.
The following day, the town newspaper
reads, "Man Jumps in Front of Vehicle."
