The Conjurer

CHOREOGRAPHER

She broke our date tonight
saying that she had to choreograph a dance
and she could only get the dancers tonight
but she said she'd call.
I played her message over and over
making sure that I heard it right
That she would call

I strolled down to the store
to make myself unavailable
bought some smokes
and something to eat
ran home to check the machine
too quickly
and checked to make sure it was working

I then thought of all the things to do
that make people call and interrupt.
I shaved
and bled
took a shower
purposely got soap in my eyes
and, after that,
so it would be inconvenient to get to the phone,
I climbed the ladder to the loft
and accidentally
cracked my skull against the beam
so hard
that I fell off the ladder
and landed on my ass

I jumped up off the floor
doing the hot potato in a circle
rubbing my head and my butt
and it occurred to me
when I looked at the phone
that the dance she stood me up to choreograph
-was my own.