Word Furrows from Emily
gristle
bantam weight
tumescent
luminesce
knocked up

my body was driving over the bridge trestle last night while my mind continued to wrestle with the age-old problems…the search for meaning, the pursuit of happiness, as they stuck in my teeth like pieces of gristle from last christmas feast.

as usual, the gristle turned itself over and over, refusing to budge. my mind, no longer the bantam weight of youth, tried to spar but could not. we all gave up. the gristle, never fully engaged, sat in its irritating place, plain as congealed tumescent cartilidge.

my eyes were distracted by the lights of oncoming traffic, my nerves twitched as i neared the bridge-edge. i am always leary of the effectiveness of a bridge fence. will it really prevent me from plummeting into the river below? i felt doubtful, so i held tighter to the wheel and concentrated on the lines in the road. must stay within the lines, i repeated.

i slowed down. route 3 always makes my heart beat a little faster. a road so worn down, so old, so many cars. i saw the refineries luminesce outside the airport entrance.

i tried to think of worse things to make myself feel better. at least i am not knocked up, i thought. ah, relief.