these calloused fingers and scarred knuckles have seen some miles

not content to settle in one place

a wanderlust of incremental repairs that stretch the states of illinois, texas and plausibility

used to steady movements mastered over time

soldering components onto green wafer boards

transistors, diodes, capacitors and all forms of resistance

forming the pathway from supply to ground with a myriad of ones and zeros between

crimping cutting replacing and refining

a life of aluminium and copper traces and invisible bites

subtle finesse and a knowledge of theory

but a vagabond at heart

never long for one location as boredom creeps in and the floor technique of mental gymnastics into insanity is shown in relationships suffered and breakdown du jour

always been that way

sojourns in the red pick up with the lift gate down country roads with a full bed of machines for rotation

to the silver bullet carving a niche in north texas and small town oklahoma

to across the country

not good for settling down

the miasmatic sensation of being thrid person in your own mind

a life of repairing machines to make up for the broken parts inside that will never heal correctly

large masses of scar tissue where organs used to reside

peripatetic out of necessity

not by choice

always yearning to be part of something but relegated to amateur self saboteur

an emotional anarchist

molotov cocktails providing the mood lighting for solitary mischief

no longer looking for a magic salve to solve all of the ills of an indifferent outlook

accepting of what cannot be changed

elusively searching for the hidden controls to play with dip switch settings and rearrange cause and effect

intoning the occult nuances of scientific redundancy

but only for a short period

then off to the next five and dime to get a fake mustache and dark shades to disappear down a dark alley

best friends for fifteen minutes then the never ending sarcasm and quips gets tiring

a firm grip from unfeeling fingers and a smile for the brief time spent

then off down another trail in search of el dorado

a momentary diversion

a glimpse beyong the veil

the fleeting life of the grandiloquent servant of prose

wherever i place my vans is home

it has to be

i didn’t choose the wandering life

just have to live it