enter the darkened cave

clean up the mess the kids left

carefully unzip and remove the skin suit

humanity leaves until they come back

no one else wants to deal with this mess of a person

they have no choice in the matter

until they get older

and by then i hope we have the same loving relationship we have now but modified by time and mutual understanding

if i lost them i would have nothing

which kicks in plan b

drink myself to death back home

this is barring any unforeseen occurrence

such as love finding me

or nuclear armageddon

equally unlikely scenarios

so i hang the skin suit in the closet

careful to keep it from getting creased or wrinkled as i do

then let the elements attack the now bare nerve endings

sit on a towel because the human body is disgusting when bereft of epidermis

muscle and vascular nonsense are all that maintain this skeleton of motion

bursa sacks and tendons, cartilage and bioelectrical discharge

let the monster roam the village

we only smile for the kids

another weekend gone too quickly and heartache and solitude resume their respective perch on either shoulder

like odin and his ravens

but not majestic and far too much fatty tissue

and so far both eyes

so i’ve got that norse pantheon