Vortex

By Cliff Lake

 

Vortex

 

He was trying to pay in paper money,

As if.

He only had the one power cell,

One of the good solars,

Couldn’t take that,

Slow death,

Only a day or so

Before the next vortex cuts through.

Had him choring for two days,

Fed him,

Sent him on his way with a good knife,

And the emergency blankets he’d come for –

Still plenty of loot in the Bass Pro,

Now that we’ve wasted the goons.

Doc,

We call him Doc because he keeps reading.

Doc has us farming.

He’s probably right,

Corn’s coming up good anyway,

Gets more true all the time says Doc,

That mutie shit from a couple years back,

Killed some.

Doc said some of the weaker ones

Weren’t gonna make it through the next vortex anyway.

He’s probably right.

He knows a lot of shit like that.

Says it’s in his books,

Saved my life once he says.

I don’t remember,

The Red Sick fucks up your brain.

Hope Doc don’t get it –

Maybe some don’t like him and his smarts,

But they know he’s keeping most of us going.

Funny thing is,

Whenever someone gets froggy at him,

He gets that smile,

Like he knows just how he’s gonna fuck you up.

I seen it once.

He kills better than I do.

I asked him if that was in his books too.

“Everything is” he said.

I believe him.

I asked why they blew up the world like this,

“They couldn’t see straight.” he said.

Doc sees straight,

As long as he don’t get the Red Sick.

Better button up,

Vortex is coming,

Doc says this one might last a few days.

We’ll keep him warm.

Him and his books.

It’s kinda all we got left.

 

Cliff Lake 2/6/2025

Copyright © Clifford Lake 2025

 

Location: Wichita, KS, USA

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