March 23, 2021

the middle distance

It didn’t occur to me, just now, entering the office supply store to test out 
ergonomic desk chairs, whether there was someone already inside, preparing
to mow us all down. How casually I wheeled myself around the showroom, 
considering the options, musing over lumbar support and whether the arm rests
were long or wide enough. How calm my perusal of price tags, my idle chatter
with the salesmen - James with his voluminous beard, Shawn with his pale skin - 
the dritfy way my body sank into each cushioned seat, gazing into the middle distance
of a freshly furnished future. How quickly I forget and then, just like that, how quickly,
I remember.