The Man Who Screamed on the Train

I

He squeezed onto the train
elbowing a Chinese lady
brushing his crotch against a young blonde

There was a man next to him
his breath smelled awful
he was pockmarked and fat
like a well-fed feudal lord

the door closed
he noticed three people reading
the celebrity section of the morning paper
the train dragged
construction ahead

It came to a halt
the lights went out
everyone was silent

then an old lady
in a coffee-stained reindeer sweater
mentioned how excited she was
about crazy cupcake Friday at Jewel
to no one in particular
to anyone who would listen

this made the man sick
he opened his mouth and bent over
but nothing came out
he just dry heaved
and then

he screamed

he screamed
and he screamed
in full breaths

The veins in his neck bulged
like trapped anacondas

he screamed
like a man possessed

the newspapers dropped

the old lady left her cart of worthless shit

the passengers cleared the car
through both emergency exits

the man kept screaming
for some time

five people called in
a potential terrorist threat

and after 35 minutes
35 minutes of police negotiations
with a man who knew only one way of communicating

they shot him

one clean shot
to the head

he dropped
and stopped screaming

II

It was the first time
he had ever shot someone

he went home
and ate a Michelina’s microwave dinner

he didn’t feel bad

he didn’t feel good

he felt hungover
zapped

his wife asked him
what was wrong

his labrador looked at him
and tilted its head

he looked at it

he looked at it

then he opened his mouth
and did

what he had to do

© 2011 Lee Kitzis