Paul is about to speak.
Surprise takes him.
It places a black hood over his head.
It shoves him in a getaway car.
Paul’s words stand in the queue.
They are ready to be uttered.
They do not understand the delay.
They are unsure what to do next.
Surprise sends me a ransom note.
The note sets a sum for Paul’s words.
The note states nothing about Paul.
It ends with the word Scream in a Halloween font.
I was not really listening to Paul.
He took too long assembling his words.
I had drifted into a replay of a Cubs game.
Bottom of the ninth. Winning run on third.
The sum was small enough,
I would pay to have Paul back.
But not just his words.
What was Surprise thinking?
copyright © 2020 Kenneth P. Gurney
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