Rules of Order
todd michael cox
She was sheltered, her father said, but most people didn’t think so. The kind of girl who could fellate a cigarette and make you hard, then tell you she thought being a nun would be cool because you don’t have to waste energy rebelling, you followed the rules of your order and that was that. Most people waste so much time and energy trying to be different, she said.
Remember she told us about the cockatiel?
Remember she told us she spent Homecoming night in the cemetery and we found out later she went to that hotel with Jimmy’s dad? Remember when she used to sit motionless and silent for hours and then out of nowhere tell us she thought we were all silly and yet full of so much wisdom we could never understand it all even if we lived to be a thousand?Remember she was pretty? People forget that.
She used to light cigarette after cigarette and occasionally smiled.
Todd Michael Cox is a writer from the schizophrenic state of Wisconsin. When he’s not writing he’s out in a swamp or forest looking for reptiles and amphibians, or possibly in his basement making what he calls music. He’s also responsible for the noise-and-spoken-word project, Ripe For Shaking, found only at http://www. myspace. com/ripeforshaking Contact him at toddmichaelcox@gmail.