age arrives

By David Pendery age arrives a guest of a sort not unexpected neither welcome not quite an oaf but no gentleman not conversed with neither shown the door we watch our watches not even bothering to hide our unease age arrives it breaks no rules commits no obvious gaffes violates no code of conduct ruptures no continuity indeed is continuity its essence essential

you would think that all was well every puzzle piece in place each hour ordered the days of a life indexed like a calendar a kind of chronology an agenda a boxy gridwork the minutes of a life denoted one day after another after another you would think that all was well but in fact a crime has been committed and to get to the bottom we employ deduction (or the other way around) induction (or the other way down) reduction (to the lowest common denominator) clues were left at the scene of the crime (call it that) a man was killed
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(he died) a weapon most devious was employed (a poison that leaves no trace) a motive has been established (it was a crime of passion) a suspect is suspected (age arrives) self-destruction has not been ruled out (he died) but to deem it that could set a dangerous precedent better to seek a murderer someone or something with a grudge a bone to pick unfinished business to attend to age arrives a child lying alone in a moonlit bedroom listens then hears the compact crunch of gravel in the driveway the concatenate rattle of a parking brake the dry hiss of polyester pants sliding across a vinyl seat the cushioned thwunk of a car door closing the wet press of loafers on dew moistened grass

then a screen door is drawn open with a parrot-like squawk and closed quietly there is a faint aroma or change in the atmosphere then age arrives