I never heard the man say "duck!"

A wrinkled, oversized navy blue suit. A big coffee made for me by a kid at least five years my junior. Finished but not enjoyed. In a suburban corporate coffee shop. Identical to the thousands just like it. Keep me alive so that I can continue to produce.

The first step is acceptance but I'll only accept so much. I won't be defeated by a series of circumstances. I won't be swallowed by time or by reason or by a sense of responsibility. I've gotten in the ring with even stronger opponents. I've yet to win, but I always go for it. The pain in my gut never lasts as long as the restlessness. If I don't stomp on the floor with bloody feet, I float away.

It is time for you to begin that descent down the steel mountain. The one we've been waiting for. Into my arms. I have waited for you all my life, and even longer. Oh but womanhood can be so dull sometimes.