afternoon comedy

I woke this morning depressed, and the people were just
as gray as they were yesterday and yesterday's yesterday.
I placed both feet on the floor
bed springs coiling under me
and reached for whatever I could
find beside me:
a half-empty beer.

life, at last, I thought
as I pressed my lips
on its cold steel and
felt the lukewarm drink pass
through my sore throat.

the phone rang minutes
later and I declined its offer
to get out of bed. instead,
I went back to bed
and let the sunshine touch
my face just
enough, just
enough
not to
kill me.

when I awoke,
it was 1 PM
after
and the phone was ringing.

I got up and picked up,
shuffling through pieces of poems
and short stories I had yet
to read over.

"hello?" I said.

"hello, this is Time Warner cable, and we were wondering if you were interested in . . ."

"fuck you, cocksucker." and I hung up.

I went into the fridge
and I laughed;
comedy, at last.