Eric Ashford | + Follow Poet |
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And Then I Will Surely Die

If I went out today,
just one person I have yet to meet
will kill me for sure.
If I do go though
I will buy rice, beans, and chicken,
but there is a chance, perhaps remote, 
but a chance all the same,
that the rice, beans, and chicken 
will have been
molested by diseased hands
and then I will surely die,
unless I wash my hands
and bury them in the backyard
under a full moon.
If I go out today
I must be as crafty as a fox or snake,
I must slink, and slither
through the crush of other shoppers,
I must breathe through a tube attached
to the internet
where nothing bad ever happens,
unless of course
a virus has mutated into digital space
and then I will surely die.

Copyright © Eric Ashford | Year Posted 2020

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Maureen McGreavy Pigeon Tart Date: 7/23/2020 1:27:00 PM Then there’s Stephen Crane... “A man feared that he might find an assassin; Another that he might find a victim. One was more wise than the other.” (he’s one of my favourite poets) Login to Reply Eric Ashford Date: 7/23/2020 1:44:00 PM LOL I know that one, prefect conundrum. e.

Maureen McGreavy Pigeon Tart Date: 7/23/2020 1:24:00 PM Anxiety and obsessive negative thinking comes to mind. Effective ink. I am reminded of trekking alone with my dog at 2am to a field to take in a meteor shower, so scared of being raped and murdered, before reasoning with myself- I am much more likely to die at work, cycling in downtown traffic. ;), xomo Login to Reply Eric Ashford Date: 7/23/2020 1:42:00 PM Yes, weeks of being cooped up in an apartment in Ohio have caused a neurosis for sure! It's no wonder we are such a cautious generation we have been brain washed by warnings of imminent peril at every turn. I enjoyed your remarks here. Though it's a serious matter for women in particular. Most of us will die in a road accident or the common cold one day. Thanks for commenting on this silly poem. P.T. e.