Fresh grins--

  turned wilted and posed--

for automatically

  focused prose.

Lacy hyperbole--

  butter-extract speech--

made in China

  plastic-mold economy.

And so I turned

  new flourescent,

ripe attention

  to you laughing like you mean it.

It was then that I realized I was not a Calvinist.

It just doesn’t feel right, he said.

Reasons; there were none that could pass for legitimate.

They were all things we’d talked about and decided to let be.

The only reason I’m left with now is the itch in his stomach.

I imagine there are more—probably even the ones he claims have nothing to do with anything.

I believe in free will.

I believe that God supersedes time. There’s no getting around his infinite nature and all-knowing love.

I believe we choose based on how God leads.

God was leading us to great places—we both felt it.

And so now I’m ridiculing this gorgeous, Lutheran, wishy-washy Calvinist… and I am realizing how differently we think.

If I could only change you… I think.

But— I never could.

I never would.

You’re stunning as you are.

Lunch was ready.

He sneezed into his sleeve-- "HurrAH, HurrAH!"

Celebratory sneezes.