the abridged version

na.

s/he wants to get through this

quickly, s/he wants the horror to

be brief, s/he wants it to pass

like a fart in the wind, s/he doesn’t

want to be interrupted now (and

later will never come), s/he wants

the sound bite to be played only

once, s/he wants no visual to

accompany, s/he wants the folks

at work to cease talking about it,

s/he wants the newspapers & online

recordings of these events to be

washed from the record, s/he

wants to stay calm & collected, s/he

wants to be secure for the rest of

her/his life, s/he wants the world

to listen when s/he cries, s/he

wants to want what s/he’s allowed

to be wanting because s/he’s

nothing but the abridged version

of what s/he used to be.