earthquake

did you feel
that, she says,
tapping me on
the shoulder, no,
what, why are
you waking me
up? i was taking
a nap and was in
the middle of
a wonderful dream.
we just had
an earthquake,
five point nine
on the richter
scale. end of
the world? no,
she says, throwing
a pillow at me,
but there could
be aftershocks.
i was in the middle
of shaving my legs
and nicked myself.
see. i look at
the trickle of blood.
people are in
the streets,
evacuating
the buildings,
coming home early
from work. it's
a small panic,
but nothing
seems to be
damaged too badly.
okay, thanks for
the report. are
we still going
out to dinner
tonight, or
is everything
closed?
i don't know,
she says, the cell
phones aren't
working. how about
the diary queen,
is it still
standing?
i could use
a blizzard
later on. i'll
check the news
she says, i'm sure
it'll be at the top
of the damage list.