Stream of consciousness poem -- chapter 1

Chapter 1

October 12, 2011  

Midweek  

Mid-afternoon  

Head in the clouds  

Four birthdays past  

Four more to come  

Including mine  

And my anniversary  

Shall I make a Black Forest Cake?  

Of course!  

Then come   

The holidays  

Will my brother come down 

To South Carolina 

For Thanksgiving or Christmas    

This year?    

Phone rings  

Nerves jangle  

“Hello” I snap  

As my name is mangled  

“Yes, I’m Karen”  

My patience is at an end  

Useless “no-call” list  

But this is no  

Sales call  

My brother  

Was found   

Unconscious   

In his neighbor’s yard  

A scrap of paper  

In his hand  

With my name and number   

On it  

He’s in  

Bad shape  

The neighbor tells me  

The ambulance is on its way  

But he may not make it  

It’s probably   

Too late  

I babble  

I can’t think  

I ask the same question  

Over and over  

But it is the question  

That no one can answer  

Why?  Why?