elephants

on the phone at the rest stop
overdosed on 700 mg of naproxen sodium, it's not a real drug,
just generic for aleve.
but i'll never get my stomach lining back.
somewhere in ohio everyplace is somewhere in ohio in this state
like they lost the compass to the accentless flat land here
i walk across to the grass and watch.
enormous people swinging their arms almost imperceptibly
smiling with ragged teeth crying hoarse
to get to the fast food restroom. that smells. like ellis island and drano.
teens doing kick flips outside the station wagons,
badly.
its like i'm watching
a piddling depression spin out,with red hawks jerseys on, i say.
my brother goes shhhhh! they'll hear you. fearing a mutiny amongst the travelers.
he's in dc. i'm in ohio.
i try to picture what he's doing but i can't
imagine it.

here the time is moving so slow,
my mind is going ping! speeding up slowing down.
watching strangers spilling out of themselves like the boundaries for
human beings exploded,
amoebas,
i'm lying back, watching the clouds bumble above
like elephants
( hemingway,
by the way.)