Melinda Smith #18 The other manual

The other manual

check your equipment for signs of wear

and procure back-ups if needed

bolt as many doors as possible

or you can always wedge chairs under the handles

there is the note of course – a poem is good

text a copy to a friend for safe-keeping

a last bath

dress in white

or go naked entirely

tie your knees together for a ladylike posture

you’ll fall forwards if you kneel on your sleeves

if in public, think of the poor passers-by:

find a cave well back from the picnic area

a ditch screened from the road

do not choose a train full of schoolchildren

decide which way to face

toward the city? toward the ocean?

these are sacred and important matters

you seek the privilege

of ordering these things for yourself

you would steal this from Fate, from Chance, from any and all gods:

they do not take theft lightly

they will try, until the last moment,

to break the belt, dilute the dose, cut the power

you can win, but

you have to start thinking like a god

you know what to do

© Melinda Smith 2016

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