You ever go to the grocery store
and when you get in line
you find yourself staring at the items
of the person in front of you?

I found myself doing that today.

Dude had bought cookies and sausages,
a four pack of summer edition red bull,
and other things.

Toilet paper was one.

When he put the toilet paper on
the conveyor belt, he gave me a look.
He didn’t know I’d been staring,
I don’t think.

I responded with a half nod,
and jerked a half smile
kind of like a stroke victim.

He went back to his business
without a reaction.
Not even a red face.

But why would he,
I mean, we all wipe our ass.

You know what’s interesting, though,
is how oddly I’ve been thinking
about puppets. Lately.

This remix culture of ours.
If it’s not crystal pepsi, it’s
puppets.

I’m waiting for hoop and stick
to do the same.

But such is a stretch.
compared to puppets,
not because puppets already
made a comeback-
apparently puppets have-
but because evolution of muppets-
puppets without masters.

But such is humanity. I suppose.
The need to have control.
There is no getting around that.

Either way there’s
a hand up someone’s ass.

I bet muppets see puppets
and it’s like people going to the zoo
to see their closest common ancestor.

One day we’ll find that missing link.
One he’ll find that rainbow connection.

Probably on a train, too.