A bar.

The piano player hammering.
Karl staring forward.
Empty glasses closing in on his hand on the counter.
The row of bottles to select from.
The piano player's wide grin bopping up and down.
The bartender bracing himself against the counter with two hands, leaning towards Karl.

NO, THIS ISN'T TUNISIA.

Two fingers snapping.
A leg kicking.
A waitress walking.
Someone sitting down next to Karl.
A blonde head.
Karl sliding over to the next seat.
He leans towards the bartender.

YOU SURE?

The blonde sliding over next to Karl.
He stands up.
A pair of pants walking.
The door to the men's bathroom.
A hand pushes it in.
A crowd of men staring at the camera.
Karl's head peaking around a corner.
The door closing.
A pair of pants walking.
An exit sign.
An alleyway.
A hand unzipping a fly.
Karl leaning against a concrete wall by a lit doorway.
A stream of piss moving along.

YOU LOOKING FOR SOMEONE?

Karl looking up.
A blonde in the doorway.
She puts her thumbs in her belt.
Karl's mouth moving.

CATHERINE?

A well groomed hand pulling a red tie.
Karl and Catherine walking down the alley.
A fire escape.
Two bodies climbing through a window.
A match lit in the dark.

Here's the outline in the bed where we would meet when it was too cold not to.

Where was she in the late hours that I chewed until my jaw ached?
Through the window I saw a few houses with the lights still on.
She passed her finger along a dusty desk, creating a road for her to drive on, over and over again, when there was nothing else.
And she kept going.
Another town, a distant town?
Hotel signs.
Her aging face, red eyes, looking up at that clerk.
Open gas stations, with closed doors. Just a little window to browse through.
But does she know what she wants?

September, October, November.
I crossed so many dates off the calender while that other she wasn't looking.
Quiet night.
Blankets and pillows.

The fires dance when they have enough fuel, and sit there within themselves, smoldering, when they run out, embers that wish they still sent sparks flying out towards everything. These sparks could set ablaze an entire world, if only there was enough to ignite it in this dampness.

Out there is a body of water that is bigger than any fire has ever been, and everyday it creeps inward, towards dryness, planning to engulf everything in a single moment, once it's surrounded.

It is so cruel the way you surrounded me, the way you swayed, and rolled, hoping to seduce me forever simply because you existed. You for I, and all those other tired phrases that spoke of eternities, but how could there be anything that is forever, when there exists that eternal demon called chemical change.

But you refuse to do me in. I have no choice but to collect together in my arms all these ashes, looking up at the wind, it is tickled at the very sight of me you know, and I cringe, and cringe. I bury what parchment is left of my skin deep within.

I push all of those embers away from me.
I push away you.
I push away our daughter.

I take in that last breath of fire before there is that final trickle of smoke to be dissipated by the air we all love to breathe.

A row of pink and red balloons.
A cigarette dangling from red-lipstick mouth.
A hand grabbing the cigarette, mouth exhaling.
A pair of nylon-thighs.
The doorway with Karl standing under it.
The girl popping a balloon with the cherry.
Another.
Another.
The line of balloons with one still full of air, the rest laying limp.