The Zero Hour

The only time
we could ever make love
would be
when the clock turns to
0:00
we'd exist on another plane
slip
into a parallel universe
where there are no rules
no time at all
when we dream
but you'd have to be quick
0:01
is too late

Pranayama

Eyes down to the floor, up to the ceiling. Breathe slowly to the count of four, one for the abdomen, two three four, thorax chest shoulders, hold one count, exhale smoothly. Pranayama. I used to tease Catherine, if she’d just do that she wouldn’t need to smoke. It’s the same thing, calm your frazzled nerves with deep controlled breathing. Controlled breathing I don’t like that description. Regulated breathing, managed breathing, I don’t know, but controlled breathing sounds too, controlling, something. 

Eyeballs up, down, four times. Now side to side, breathe, concentrate on breathing, count, one two three four one onetwothreefour. Diagonal, down left, up right, one two three four, one, onetwothreefour, two two three four, one twotwothreefour, three two three four one threetwothreefour, four two three four one fourtwothreefour. Eye yoga. Down diagonal right, up left, breathe. 

Toes. See if you can separate each one individually, one by one, breathe, one two three four one onetwothreefour. Power yoga, not for me. so antithetical to bliss. And Hot Yoga, what’s up with that, we have to suffer to improve, or just endure. The Marine’s motto ‘pain is weakness leaving the body.’ What, are we preparing for war. Breathe one two three four.

-Vitals?

-The same.

-Too bad, we could use this bed.

-Let’s wait till tomorrow, I saw some eye movement that wasn’t totally random.

-Hm. Okay, let’s go. I’ve got to get home. Let’s move quickly through here I don’t want to have to answer anyone about when they’ll get out of this corridor into a real room. 

-Did you get home okay last night? 

-Yeah, there were only three checkpoints, night before there were five. Had to make a detour at Fourth, the school was hit, demolished, must have been some meeting point. Had to stop though, to check vitals on some guy. 

-Okay?

No. Dead. Mega-tased, like that one in there. They’re brutal with these protesters.