QuickTurtle Books®

He went
to take the garbage out,
simple enough, a bag
of trash
on a hot day
when he should have stayed
indoors, soaking up
the frigid air
from the air conditioner.

He went
to take the garbage out
on a fluke of a sniff
that one follows when the trash smells.
One random, innocuous chore
that entailed
no concept but a whim.

He went
to take the garbage out
stoop shouldered. Such
a mundane task of a thing
he felt he had to do, but then
who can anticipate
the fate of the moment?

He went
to take the garbage out, one
dismissive boring act, until
he found himself confronted
in the alley
with a bullet.

He went
to take the garbage out
and never
said
a word.                                                                                                                                                                   .

Richard Rensberry, author at QuickTurtle Books®