the stew is delicious
rich and full of flavor
but not overpowering

he lies atop a cardboard cliff
the boxes bite into his back and shoulder
he raises his phone
and takes yet another selfie
looking brooding and odd
the ceiling is a mere two feet above his body
he runs his finger against the foam tile
he considers knocking everything down
but instead he climbs down
and goes back to work

a smile breaks through
this is wonderful
my arms hurt
my neck hurts
but it’s a terrific burn
let’s do this again
exhaust ourselves
with repetition

he handed her a penny
his eyebrows lifted and he smiled
she took the penny and said,
“everything.”
a crease formed between his brows
“no but really,” he said
she looked him in the eyes
“literally everything”
he looked away struggling for words
he was clearly disappointed
but her mind was never dominated
by only thoughts of him or any one thing

a pigeon perched near the spikes
adjusting its wings to avoid discomfort
it nestled perfectly between ledge and metal
other birds did not even try to land
only the pigeon did not yield
it was settled and comfortable
using its own method to relax

nap a little
nap some more
eat and talk

pretty kitty lies on the window sill
pretty kitty sits on the chair
pretty kitty turns into a demon

she has too much fun
it’s probably sinful
lucky she’s not religious