Dark
Wet
Mildew
Or is that mold
???
We really don’t know
Us
Normal guy normal woman
That’s the essence of this city
Marriages and restraining orders
Much pain in the city of angels Much triumph
We wonder if it will end
We wonder about time
We wonder about botox
As I stand there I wonder
I’m one of the last remaining cigarette smokers Like physical cigarettes

And I don’t even really smoke cigarettes I smoke cigarillosTiny cigarsEveryone else is smoking robotic things Digital devices vapesI actually need lightFlameI actually need flameThe sun is down and the moon is out and I need light I need flame as a wetness pervadesA rare rainA rare drizzleA rare face approachesRare in that they don’t approach oftenApproach has all been relegated to the digital highwaysBut face approachesI SEE YOU NEED A LIGHT
I DO
Face gives me a lightHuman contactRareI inhaleTHANK YOU
THAT FLAME IS IMPORTANT
WHY?
IT BELONGS TO THE OLYMPIC FLAME AND IF YOU LET IT GO OUT WE ALL DIE
OKAY
That’s all I say to face
‍OKAY
You know how it is
I can’t tell if face is lying
I don’t really know what the Olympic flame is
I google it
Ask God
Olympic Flame Burgers in Hesperia California appears
I don’t think that’s itI look deeper
The Olympic flame is a flame that is lit to signify the beginning of the Olympic games
Games
I think of gamesIs this a game
‍IS THIS A GAME?
I ask the face but the face is gone
Just left in a carI stop smoking the cigarillo
‍IF THIS FLAME GOES OUT WE ALL DIE
Face said something like that
I look around
There are no people smoking cigarettes
There are people smoking digital devices vapes but no cigarettes
I don’t want this responsibility
It’s like when someone asks you to watch their stuff when they go to the bathroom
Okay I’ll watch your stuff
But I actually don’t want the responsibility
It’s all crumbling
Would it be so bad if this flame went out
???
Would it
I suppose for some it would be a bummer and for some they would enjoy it
Everything is balanced
Perfect
I smoke it slowly
I peer my eyes down
To the end of the cigarilloI inhale and peer
See the light
Closer to it all washing away
It’s all supposed to end at some point
Isn’t it
What power
I have so much power
Right nowI
’m the most powerful man in the world
I have kind of always wanted thisI laugh a little bit
I almost mumble LOL
You know it’s bad when you start saying LOL out loud
Would it be so bad if it all went out
The flame
Gone
Would it be so bad
I’m tempted
I need to find someone to carry this thing on but I’m tempted
To watch it all burn
Go out and then burn
What exactly did face mean when face said IF THIS FLAME GOES OUT WE ALL DIE
How exactly are we going to die???
Does the asteroid come
Does the wave come
Does the fire
I’m tempted
I look around
But I don’t even know where to put my flame because everyone has digital devices vapes
This may not even work
This may have been a set up
Do I even believe the face
I stop smoking inhaling
Because a tingle of worry just crept into my heart
A tingle of adrenaline
Bottom of my skull area
Reptilian
What if this is it
I’m not sure I want so much power
I stop smoking stop inhaling but the flame is still there and paradoxically the only thing keeping the flame resonant is my smoking my inhaling
I pull
I drag
Lightly
I look around
I see cars
I see lights
I see taco trucks
I see alcohol
I see drugs
I see emptiness
I see homeless people
I see pine trees and palm trees
I look down and I see the flame is out
The tingle now roars
Adrenaline now roars
I pause
I hold my breath
The flame is out
I wait
I listen closely
I don’t move
I wait for the wave the flames the asteroid
Nothing
Nothing
Nothing
Then
A rumbling
Something
Approaching
This is it
Oh my God
This is it
I always thought I wanted power but now I realize I don’t
Approaching
There
Goodbye
I have to go
You have to go
We