Vacuum
I saw a man vacuum
ing his gutter today.
Too much time on his hands?
Absurd property management?
Extreme OCD?
Does he wash and wax each leave on his shrubs and trees?
Trim the blades of grass with tweezers?
Maybe his wife just wants him out of the house
because who knows what he attempts inside?
Must be at her wit’s end.
So many questions but the
perceived insanity of the gutter offends me
on my evening walk
as I avoid stepping on the sidewalk cracks.
Chris Callard
Chris Callard lives in Long Beach, CA. His poems have appeared in Beach Chair Press, Five Fleas Itchy Poetry, Spillwords, The Writing Disorder, Ariel Chart, Witcraft, Cadence Collective, and One Sentence Poems. His short fiction in 10 by 10 Flash Fiction Stories, Maudlin House, Friday Flash Fiction, Bright Flash Literary Review, Witcraft, Ariel Chart, Gemini Magazine, Flash Fiction Magazine, A Story in 100 Words, and ZZyZxWriterZ. His work has been nominated for Best of the Net and Best Small Fictions.