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The old fart alter cocker shuffle

The old fart (alter cocker) shuffle

as one fairly long run on sentence
unwittingly made locally famous 
courtesy residents here at 
Highland Manor Apartments
as first one foot and then the other
painstakingly, and agonizingly dragged 
across the cement walkway
making absolutely sure
the entire foot touches the ground,
(analogous to geriatric 

version of the hokey pokey)
made like toe tilly particularly 
more trip lee dangerous for valley girls,
and posing an obvious challenge,
when unspecified oblivious tenant 
yakking away to themselves 
unknowingly shakily shambles, 
(which elderly folk blindly 
risking life and limb),
while tethered to an oxygen tank

gingerly, precariously, and zanily 
maneuvers a walker or wheelchair
while chatting vis a vis bluetooth; 
(a short-range 
wireless technology standard
used for exchanging data
between fixed and mobile devices
over short distances and building
personal area networks:
In the most widely used mode,

transmission power 
limited to 2.5 milliwatts,
giving it a very short range 
of up to 10 metres)
communication maintained thru 
miniature electronic paraphernalia
videlicet, now returning 
to aforementioned abandoned, 
harried, and suspended lodger 
left poised to strike hard surface,

when going about their routine task 
additionally rendered cumbersome
as occupant carefully finagles 
old gnarled bent fingers 
to manipulate requisite fob,
(a handy dandy little device
that works on Radio Frequency Identification
(RFID) triggered courtesy
waving or tapping motion
of little plastic doodad)

near a corresponding reader,
and voilá – the door unlocks, -
which technology interestingly enough
linkedin to bit of curious history,
when remote keyless entry patented
in 1981 by Paul Lipschultz,
who worked for Neimans,
(a supplier of security components
to the car industry) and developed
a number of 

automotive security devices:
His electrically actuated lock system
could be controlled
by using a handheld fob
to stream infrared data
automatically, electronically,
inevitably, and officially
granting permission for our inhabitant, 
or unsuspecting intruder
(since very little – read none

security installed here)
to enter the front door,
presenting an unwelcoming 
opportunistic, idealistic,
and antagonistic accident
about to happen if the track opening
and closing entryway portal 
(bumped up against thin carpeting)
slightly bunched up 
presents a raised lipped surface edge

(barely perceptible to those
who present a sight for sore eyes),
which uneven impediment
the literal downfall
for many a resident
at Highland Manor Apartment,
who tripped and fell ofttimes
sustaining significant injuries
to their fragile lovely bones.

Copyright © Matthew Harris

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