Letter of Resignation
Good luck in South America. I hope the duke appreciates your work
and that they have the kind of ham you like. Good luck with that tire. It hasn’t
been the same since you ran over the fireworks I left in the driveway.
Good luck
getting your book jacket printed on time in the right shade of ocher.
Good luck finding a date for the opera. I’m sure it won’t be hard
what with your hair like that and a miniseries in the works. If you see
my earring
leave it on the nightstand and water it daily. It shouldn’t give you any trouble.
If you wake up in the desert, drink gasoline. It will save your life, if only
for a day. If I haven’t left by now it’s just because I don’t like the look
of those birds.
If you get this note, tear it into pieces before you read it. If the wind picks up,
scatter my ashes at the border. I’ll sweep them later. If it’s nighttime
when you get to Buenos Aires, go to the nearest train station and pray
for the rains to hold.
Ellen Keelan is a graduate of Yale and has studied with Nicholas Christopher, Jonathan Aaron, Katha Pollitt, and Gregory Orr. She grew up in St. Louis, MO. She blogs at fifthcircleofhell.wordpress.com
