Dying Instructions
Kate Hall

One

I am thinking of leaving a cupcake as a suicide note.
Tell me, will you know when it comes to this,
Will you take the head of your mistress and shake it
until the stars fall out.

Two

Do you remember, last night, on the sofa
I was trying to seduce you into my head.

Is seven a word before it is a number.
When we learn to swim, do we simultaneously learn
drowning.

Three

"See how tense I am," I said,
and then, after the play,

"I am here for your enjoyment."

Four

I have made a cave in my mouth and emptied the bottles of pills there.

Five

Saturday is daylight savings time.

Six

My knitting group is meeting here on Sunday.

Please see to it that Maryanne does not eat anything with sugar in it.

Seven

I slept with a man named Roger right before our tenth wedding anniversary.

My sister advised against telling you.

Eight

There are five bags in the refrigerator with lunches in them for next week.

That should buy you a little time before you have to tell the people

what happened.

1996 © 2005