exit - clear
of regret
Craig
Kirchner
He
was fluent and personable with hello,
and
outrageously shallow with goodbye.
Meetings,
personal or business
were
stimulated by his presence,
but
he often left quietly,
without
the typical civility and handshake.
It
was almost always the case and usually noticed.
He’d
watch a movie for an hour and a half,
and
go make a sandwich and miss the end.
He
never waited for gin, always went down.
Didn’t
attend funerals or visit cemeteries.
Read
a lot but seldom the last chapter.
The
reputation had him nick-named Ghost.
Early
to arrive, early to leave.
Often
double-parked - usually declining to eat.
Always
wanting to get right to the point.
In
business – eye to eye and the bottom line.
Personal
– Do you believe in God?
Define
God – that he has time for.
His
latest flame asked, as he was preparing to depart,
about
his efficient beginnings and terse terminations.
He
explained that endings – his or any others,
were
small talk, spurious and inane,
unless
of course there was a great twist,
or
a curious way to avoid an abrupt cliché.
