Say It Ain’t So, Joe (okay maybe it is after all)
Joe Pesci was so upset at the Monsanto Cloning Facility. The two chili dogs he cloned dripped sauce all over the Van Gogh painting he paid handsomely for earlier that night. “I really hate that, Christmas is ruined now,” he screamed, but then, when he wiped away the sauce, part of the painting dissolved only to reveal the painting was made in China! A copy! A fraud, he cried inside his mind. “Great just frigging great. Ruined by one of Sebastian’s favorite sandwiches. I’ll get that little pipsqueak that sold me this redone piece of garbage. Stuff his ass in the trunk and take him out to the Ponderosa where he can lay under the cold, hard ground with dozens of other’s I put there.”
As Joe walked outside, he started to think about Jaffar. “Wonder if that little zit has learned to read yet. Joe doubted it. After trying to explain to Jaffar about the three-way zipper, even after showing him ‘show and tell’ picture cards, Jaffar didn’t get it.
What a load of shplotzery this night has turned out to be. The holidays just don’t have that pizzazz any longer. Yeah, thought Joe, I need to bust some balls, that’ll make me feel better.
Getting in his car, he remembered a list of unitemized list of building materials. He smirked and said, “Oh yeah, I need to add cement. Gotta make sure I have the cement when I reach the Ponderosa.” He started laughing as he pulled away from the parking lot.
“Cement! Maybe the holidays won’t be so frigging bad after all.”
scoured
the shower water
is too hot
a burning that is only soothed
by the gentle caresses of the scouring pad
that scrape away
the layers of agony
until i am red and raw.
i trade
one burn for another
a bargain struck with the gods of fire
and while i no longer feel the shower,
i imagine i can feel bone
like i've taken
steel wool
to my skin
and scrubbed myself away
into nothing.
i find the concept
soothing.
the idea that a sponge could
clean me away just as it scrubs
oil from pans.
the scouring pad
is my only love
and its touch is all i need.
until the next shower
when we'll be reunited
under wet streams of fire
and cherry-hued skin
that goes white
with pressure.
Dream Buffet
20. hard truths in the Ponderosa.
Mick left the buffet line with a big smile on his face, and a plate full of yummy food. His mouth watered over the fried chicken, tacos, spaghetti, and a yeast roll with the perfect shine. He also thought about the sundae bar awaiting him soon. As he returned to his booth, he noticed a ghostly version of himself sitting there.
"Ummmm.... who are you, and what are you doing at my table? I came here alone!"
"It's alright Mick.... I am you anyway, so I think I can sit here at this table set up for you."
"You're me? How?"
"I am a ghost version of you. You are alive of course, just dreaming. Things that make no sense can happen in dreams, after all."
"This is a dream? So I'm not actually at Ponderosa Steakhouse?"
"You sure aren't my friend. You live in Upstate NY, and Ponderosa is no longer open there. You must be dreaming about the last time you were here in the 90s."
"So basically, with the exception of this dream, I can't eat at Ponderosa in NY anymore?"
"No sir. You would have to go to Scottsburg in Indiana, or Hillsboro in Ohio to get some tasty food like this."
"Damn. Well, I know I'm in a dream, and I haven't woken up yet, so I can at least enjoy my meal in this realm. And the best part is I won't have a stomachache, since I'm dreaming anyway!"
"True. But now that you know you're dreaming, it is going to be harder to stay in this world. Will you even be able to enjoy your food knowing the dream could end at any moment? And will you even stay asleep long enough to get to the sundae bar?"
"Damn it!"
Mick then decided that despite the peril of waking up and no longer being in his favorite restaurant from his past, he would still enjoy it as much as he could. And if it came down to it, he could always take a road trip to Scottsburg or Hillsboro (maybe even both if he was hungry enough) upon waking up from his delicious slumber....
Retro Ponderosa commercial: https://youtu.be/NCDonl-sRNQ