9 January 2006 | Vol. 5, No. 4

Charles Manson

While covered with dragon's blood in the forest

of olives I find a note tied to a passing


balloon. Jesus, a second grader from Wisconsin,

has learned cursive, he is happy I received


his note. When I was a child, the government

tattooed my mother's blood type under


her left arm. Nuclear meltdown

was inevitable, they said. Soon, they would


flood my town to build a reservoir,

a playground for weekend recreationists.


They said that all our pain was based upon

not seeing the way things really are,


which I remember years later while listening

to the veterinarian shave my cat's ass.


Could it be that she refuses to accept

her weight problem, her urinary tract infection?


The government said that our aversion to pain

was what caused our suffering and not the pain


itself. I remember this as I am standing

in the forest of olives covered with dragon's blood.


The green lights are ascending

into the night sky. I am at our trysting place.


I know all too well that we will never

speak again.

About the author:

Jason Bredle is the author of A Twelve Step Guide, winner of the 2004 NMP/Diagram Chapbook Contest. If you've ever loved him, you know what it's like to be hurt by him. He can be reached at knifemachine.com.

For further reading:

See the complete list of work by Jason Bredle at 42opus. Browse the contents of 42opus Vol. 5, No. 4, where "Charles Manson" ran on January 9, 2006. List other work with these same labels: poetry.

42opus is an online magazine of the literary arts.

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