Richard Dawson survey says the number
one answer is… zero. It’s gone the night you
bought it, right? As it was a reward for another
hard week, & when the week started you said,
This week will finally be easier, right? We’re due
for an easy week, finally? Or maybe you got
a smaller than expected raise, but it’s still
something, or you didn’t cry as hard as you
thought you would & being a human being
is often really hard, so Brownie Batter Core,
the entire pint filled with chunks of satisfaction
& only flecks of regret. Or you throw yourself
a small party in your head or you make yourself
a birthday cake & impromptu invite friends
& family to sing to you because during that
song is when absolutely everyone stops what
they are doing & is just present in the moment
focused on one thing, not on the globe spinning,
not on breathing or trying to circulate all
that blood or remember all the lessons you
were ever taught, & because there are few
spectacles that cause absolutely everyone to
stop & focus all at the same time, you bring
out the papery vibrant spectacle that is a
piñata & you & everyone hold their breath
as the one you love the most wipes her hands,
tightens her grip, secures her stance, & then
winds up for her hardest-ever swing, & you
& everyone anticipate the crack, can almost
already feel the candy falling, raining down,
bouncing like raindrops off your hands, off
the pavement, simultaneously wetting the
ground, fulfilling the desire, & exploding up,
cascading back up, the very fine mist painting
a brief & fleeting rainbow across the sky.
*Inspired by Family Feud (with Richard Dawson), 1976-1985, How to Stop Time by Matt Haig (2017), & Rain Wilson and the Geography of Bliss (2023).