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Karen Weil is a teacher/tutor living in Seattle, Washington. She is working on a full-length manuscript on childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder. Her work has appeared in Sendero and 400 Words.
Post-It Note
“You could teach in
Indonesia , too,” says my friend
“Think about it: That’s Indo-frickin’-nesia”
I do think about it: about Indo-frickin’-nesia, and him and me
And other tantalizing things I wish I could believe in
“It depends on the cat,” I say
“You could probably bring
the cat,” says my friend
A few minutes spent expounding on the subject of personal redemption
And the glories of Indo-frickin’-nesia
And he says again, “So what do you think? You going?”
I wonder how a mature human
being would respond
When asked this question by someone infinitely precious
And more than a little manic-depressive
Who may or may not remember the conversation the next day
“I told you,” I say again, “it’s up to the cat”
I note aloud the position
of said cat atop the computer monitor
And the seeming intelligence with which he watches
“Maui is all-knowing,” says my friend, this time making a deliberate joke
A few moments later, the
cat strolls by
With a Post-it note affixed to his hind end
The note turns out to be blank
But there’s this brief delirious moment
Where I hope he says something profound