One to Twelve

Times Square is without clocks; there is a digital one which appears once a calender year else this is a confusing metropolitan area. Equipped with Quasi and Peanut Butter, color of the maple board with trucked wheels, two men of the listless hour name themselves mischief for the early afternoon.

"Excuse me do you know the time?"

"The time! Fuck! I don't even know how long it's going to take me to get out of here!"

"Is there a watch on your wrist by any chance?"

"Shit! Is there a store I can get one around here? Shit! How am I supposed to do anything?!"

We both pass out flyers for nearby bodegas with a new shipment of hands for the second on a bracelet; these were the unsold demos for department stores.

"You boys came at the right time..."

"What time is it?"

"God damn it's just a figure of speech; I don't know the number. It's got to be between one and twelve."

"Why is it one to twelve?"

"Something about a mathematical formula to build an equation."

"How do you know that?"

"Architects in Egypt used a system of numbers in seven sequences from the digits one to twelve; I sat at a lecture on accident, only three people showed up. I was sitting in the auditorium at an elementary school thinking about something. The people in town asked me to paint a background theme for a play; it was a desert with camels."

"Then what happened..."

"The fella had a heart attack and collapsed. Strange..."

"Yes..."

"Right after his last sentence; he didn't bring notes or anything..."

"What did you do?"

"All he had with him was a car. We took his body to a doctor; he told me that man was one of the healthiest people he ever saw even if he was dead..."

The watches sold out between the numbers of one to twelve before we could restock; as we meet each other in the middle of our blocks a piercing alarm sounds from both the shops. Out of instinct we jump our transports to the scene; somebody stole the horns for the trigger sensor. This boggled us as we are now aware the siren will be excessively loud without a directional echo; maybe this is a blessing in disguise from the Hudson bay imps.

"Marley! Tosh! What's a matter?"

"We didn't get any tea this cycle; they left it out."

"No worries, you are my cup of herb for the evening!"

Chester left me a note on our door next to another from Thaddeus. There is no difference; the reaction is the same. We both exchange the envelopes to read.

"How the fuck do they know where we stay at?"

"They followed us..."

"We must be oblivious..."

"We always watch our backs."

"This concerns me deeply..."

Uncle Moe is upset this morning; tis me, my presumption can be quite a misleading map for anyone to follow.

"Jo...."

"Yes, dearest me Uncle I believe I cause you to feel the emotion you wear."

"You do..."

"Do tell what I may for your rest..."

"Take the shop and make it yours."

"I shan't take it..."

"Then I will give it to you."

Peanut Butter is a wolf

Prowling the night for a hunchback tower

Smooth as jelly off the knife on a bread shelf

Ready for awakening of the sun to devour

We walk together as one for the city to behold

We die together as one for the world to know

This is written on the backside of our grocery list - baby carrots, nutty nut cereal, super firm tofu, apples, canned tuna, cauliflower, grapefruit, cranberries, peppers.

Where is he....

"Shorty I got the newspaper this morning..."

"Mighty why did you do that?"

"I think you should put an ad for the store in it; don't use the name just the sale info, know what I'm saying?"

"Yeah..."

"You got that look about you..."

"I know..."

"There was a guy downstairs in a bow tie; you know who I'm talking about?"

"Chester..."

"Naw it was the other one..."

"Thad..."

"I punched him in the stomach."

"What came out of him?"

"Candy and potato strings..."

If you believe there is somebody I deceived in your name we will settle the argument with a deal. There will be no games to play. I need to speak with you alone.

I need to speak with you alone. There will be no games to play. We will settle the argument with a deal if you still believe I deceived somebody in your name.

"Shy Caller!"

"Hey Mighty, what's the newspaper about?"

"Just booked you two a spot to tell everybody about what's in the shop!"

"Yeah that's cool..."

"You got that look about you."

"I know..."

"There was a guy downstairs in a blazer...."

"Thaddeus..."

"Naw the other one..."

"Chester?"

"Uh-huh..."

"What did you do when you saw him?"

"I punched him in the belly."

"What came out?"

"Cola and hamburgers..."

Quasimoto is locked to a bench the bus no longer fares in the jungle; I watch him from a window to see if anybody checks him out. P B is in a rifle case with locks chained to the frame of my bike. My partner is a second set of eyes across the street.

"Damn that's a fucking ugly bike..."

"Must got an ugly AK with it..."

"Must be some crazy niggahs..."

"We got to tell everybody not to fuck with them..."

"They got nothing to do with our problems anyways..."

"Yeah not like they know about the shit that's going down..."

"They must be damned like us..."

"They must be dark like us..."

A guy walks by with a watch from each of the degas on his right and left wrists, sleeves rolled up.

"I know the fucking time now! Those paper suit motherfuckers come by when that short spike is on the three with the long one on the six! We know when to keep to ourselves now! We got ten of those little markers before they get here! Let's get everybody inside!"

While we pack up every shutter shuts; not a sound except eyelids opening and closing. Our mutable response is to get our rides out of view. Right as we hit the block a black four door Toyota drives down the street no car travels faster than a man can survive; this angers us beyond comprehension.

We desire not to speak with either of you; this being the door to our sanctuary is not an open invitation. We are well aware the rings belong to us and the other set to our tears. Why is it you pleasure in our distress?

If you want to know who they are you will meet with us Sunday before the newspapers are delivered to the stands. We will be downstairs.

"Hey guys..."

"Hey Mighty...."

"I saw them leave the note..."

"What did you do?"

"They both got broken noses. I got two fists."

Sunday is three cycles of one to twelve from this six; we are without choice as there is only one exit besides the fire escape which leads to the same downstairs they will be waiting.