The problem is, I’m terribly nosy
Easily distracted.
He’s just pulled up outside my house
Just passed his test, I’m guessing
Smeared windows shut tightly
Sat in his beaten-up car, engine running
He’s wrecked my writing flow.
On his phone. Scrolling. Spotty
His acne-ravaged face visible
from my first floor study window
Engine’s still running
Maybe his parents foot the fuel bill
But what about greenhouse gases?
Pollution? Particulates? Global warming?
Surely he’ll kill his engine soon?
A murder story occurs to me
Might work as flash fiction.
He’s put some music on now
Thump thump thumping
He’s bobbing along to it
Engine still running.
Surely soon he'll sod-off to college?
I’m gonna do something
Gotta do something.
I go out with mug in one hand
In the other a cricket bat.
With a teeth-on-show sort-of smile
I tap on his tight-shut window
I hold up the mug
He winds down the window
Forced smile stuck, I say, “Cup of tea?”
Eyes wide now
He raunches into first gear
and, wheel-squealing away,
Shouts, “Mad old woman!”
This piece of flash fiction came out at a CBtoo creative writing meeting where we were read the poem ‘Another Reason Why I Don't Keep A Gun In The House by New Yorker Billy Collins.
It is in the first person but it is fiction.
It won a wee award