Friday, December 14, 2018
Bud & Chuck
-Now! What gonna do?
-Die! What’s left?
-Any details?
-Yeah! Trying to do it
without inconveniencing
anyone--and especially
myself!
-Don’t know if you can.
Life consists of being a
pain in the ass.
-But you can knock it off
from time to time.
-Only to save your friends,
family, marriage, job…
-Stop! What I’m attempting here!
-What about...prayer?
-Can’t see it!
-Oh?
-But can’t see it hurting either.
-Then, is the terminal stage of
life, ambiguity?
-Undoubtedly better than knowing
everything!
-Yup.
-But just.
Labels: burden, death, decision, friends, struggle
Sunday, August 19, 2018
The Man Who Decided
never again to decide,
met the woman ditto.
They...drift.
Not that their friends can tell.
A little like HISTORY.
Some great movements hardly noted.
So why don’t we knock it off?
What?
Labels: decided, decision, history, relationship, vagueness
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Decision
The Man Who Left
Decided
Time.
The Woman Who Stayed
Decided
Time.
Those Hanging On the Fringe
Derided
Both.Labels: criticism, decision, time
Sunday, April 09, 2017
The Meaning of Something
Mr Nevers was perfectly nice.
-Well! Then! Is it A or B?
Jordan was sure of A, and
Louisa pretended to be.
But she couldn’t keep it up.
-We need more time!
So, Nevers suggested a fifteen
minute break.
Whereupon Louisa brought out
the guns previously sheathed.
Outcome?
-I’ll go along with you, and B, if you’ll
just shut up!
Thus Jordan worn down. Another of
her little victories.
When the conversation resumed
with Nevers, the smiling man
accepted B, but mentioned that
the computer had suggested C
and that he, himself, was confident
in D.
Louisa took them all on. No machine
or bureaucrat or husband would
defeat her. End of story.
Except for your opinion. The decision was
1 Right!
2 A disaster!
3 The usual inconclusive mishmash.
4 Forgotten, anyway.
You need more info?
Dodging again?
Labels: conflict, couple, decision, power
Tuesday, March 07, 2017
Deciding Limits
-Well! Then! The Great Decision!
-Made! Clean and clear. Measured
and thoughtful.
-How do you feel?
-Immensely relieved!
-The step before disaster.
-You're joking!
-Nope.
-What...more can I do?
-I always add a little prayer.
-Hocus-pocus Department?
-Just hedging the bet.
-I'll stay with rationality. Imperfect
as I am, and it, but...
-Too bad. The successful man or woman
hedges.
-They’re fooling themselves.
-We're all that, I’m guessing.
-I’m through with guessing!
-You guess?
Labels: decision, decision making, hedging, magic, Prayer, rationality
Monday, August 15, 2016
A, B, C, D
D-Day!
ANDY AND HIS FRIEND, ONCE-CHUBBY
A: The Government gives it some
patriotic panache. D-Day. But it's
only the day each senior decides
on his or her future.
OC: A, B, etc?
A: It'll help if I knew what the
categories meant!
OC: Get out then! Circulate! Listen!
Pretend to be interested in the crap
architecture or whatever.
A: I'll do that to fill the time, but
it's a crapshoot anyway. When they text
me and give me an hour, I'll just choose one.
OC: Knowing you, you'd like to stay right here!
A: You got that right!
OC: Well, four to one odds. Great! Show me
other situations in this incompetent vale
of tears where you get such good odds.
A: Don't paint me lucky. That's a mistake!
OC: Whatever.
A: At any rate, I’ll text back, or tell the sexy
Carolinia, the cyber voice.
OC: Who’ll say “I love your choice, Andy!
B is YOU.”
A: Somewhat mechanically, but what the hell!
OC: I heard of a guy they sent to an All-Women Place!
A: Good Christ! How did he ever...?
OC: Strangely, worked out! He didn’t like to talk anyway.
Labels: cyber, D Day, decision, government program, senior citizen, senor, women
Friday, January 11, 2013
The Discussion
I’m
Stephanie. The sensible one.
When the
fierce crisis hit, the family held a discussion.
Mom played
the usual sweet conciliator, Dad harumphed
his way to our shared illusion of
respect.
Junior, per
usual, flew off the handle as I set out the alternatives.
Gramps
listened, and we puzzled over where he was.
But then convinced
us with alarming clarity that Option E doubtless our best choice.
Proved a
disaster! We suffered horribly for years.
Then, all
reversed and made us happy again!
Gramps, a
few more stops down the Alzheimer Line, said our Guardian Angels went bowling up
in heaven, and concocted the miracle between strikes or pins or whatever.
Frames?
Thank you.
Labels: bad decision, bowling, decision, Family, family discussion, Guardian Angel
Sunday, September 02, 2012
Resolving
A, then? With
its apparent
clarity? Or B?--
thinking in bits
of parts. One,
the familiar.
Other, retic-
ulation. Many
say go for it!
You'll grow.
Uh huh? This prole
opts for steady.
Mystery'll come on its own,
like an infecting guest. Or in
today’s transcendence
of the real halfass.
Labels: alternative, decision, risk
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Finally Making the Decision
liberates briefly, then
tight brain vacations.
Once back, facets
examined, held to
shifting lights.
Result? Depression.
Labels: decision
Sunday, July 11, 2010
"Decision
'll be right since
you're making it.
It's your decision!"
After many years, soft-
ly wacky charm to
that advice. But I've
made doozies, bereft
of any sense. But they
were right, too, according
to my lights--which were
on dim. Oh well, consider
the process anew. Picture
matrixes of rationality,
quirk, and randomness
all going in and out
of each other. And the result?
Number with 10 brilliant
and 0 insane? Fanfare please!
Fanfare for the Common Schlub.
What’s that? Model too complex?
Let’s sample slot machine then.
Labels: decision, decision making, personality, rationality
