New York #6

origin

“I will not walk backward in life.”
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Children of Húrin

“brought my drafts today”
My sister stopped wiping down the counter
And looked at me
“What is it?”

“Just a story about some teenagers who run away from home,
Find a body in the woods;
“The sleeping american”
And they wake him up by playing
Led Zeppelin”

She shook her head
“I don’t know if this is good or not”

I sighed
And kicked my vodka back, straight

“What am I supposed to write about?
9/11?? I could do that you know”
“I know”
It was annabel carrying boxes from up stairs
“You could write about the animals that go out in space
Or about a house haunted by a cat
I had a ghost cat once…”
“I don’t know anna That’s a big deal…
No one may like it”

“Well it’s gotta be better than writing about all your exes like Taylor swift”
I looked behind me
And saw Sara walk in carrying her boxes of alcohol
“Maybe”
I started helping my sister clean off tables
And looked outside at the street
I wondered how much
Of our lives would be the same this time next year
New Years
And I wondered if any of us would be
Published yet
Sara was putting film in her camera,
“We have to be a success guys we have to hit it in this decade…”
I looked at Sara and scratched my face
When it hit me …
“What else is there?”
Everyone stopped and looked at me
“There’s nothing else for us
We’ll make it …this is who we are
What else is there?”
And then everyone started laughing
With relief

-end