///

or stop, or stop and start over or start over and start as you mean to go on
it takes a nation of millions not growing old at night, it takes deliveries
delivered langauge, you dial the number, or
you dial the number and your voice says seas are calm, skies bright
no flames, or nowhere there’s smoke there’s fire, or not visibly upset

stop, meaning shalom
or stop waiting, or wait here and stop thinking

or stop thinking and start apologizing abiding
for the rest of your life
or, for the rest of your life:

Author of the article

Nicholas Grider is the author of the story collection Misadventure (A Strange Object, 2014) and his work has appeared in or is forthcoming from Caketrain, The Collagist, Conjunctions, DIAGRAM and elsewhere.