Poems from the weekend

In no particular order

Trystan Brock
Sep 5, 2018 · 2 min read

A Simple Favor

I wipe the dust from the router.

You’re wasting your potential, he tells me.

I plug in the Ethernet cable.

No, I’m serious. It takes some knowledge to do this.

I open a command prompt and ipconfig for no other reason than to show off.

You can’t be a cashier your whole life, I wish I would have learned computers.

I type in 192.168.1.1 and update the password on the WiFi.

Here’s twenty dollars to put towards going back to college.

I haven’t earned it.

Haircut

Long overdue.

We decide to try a new place,

a locally owned barber shop.

The barber doesn’t look at all like I expect,

she is all alone when we walk in.

I always hated this part

the small talk begins.

But as she cuts my hair she opens up,

in a way that made me uncomfortable at first.

I learn about her ex

and the kid he left her with.

And her voice

is only love and understanding.

She is just starting to get a footing here

I hope she finds peace.

Every time she really concentrates

she hums along to the music.

I look in the mirror and see

something far different than I saw initially.

Dad doesn’t tip enough.

Picture from that weekend.

You Messaged

Again.

Saying you hope I’m doing well.

Telling me you keep hearing a song,

that reminds you of me.

I tell you about the changes

in my life since we last spoke

4 months ago. When I told you happy birthday.

You ask if I’m doing okay.

I haven’t responded.

Adapting

As far as the other changes go,

I didn’t like any of it

at first, but then it just becomes another part of life.

Sometimes that upsets me,

the stuff that used to make me upset doesn’t anymore.

What does that mean?

Apathy?


Take for example Dad’s drinking.

He started again

the first night she came over.

Then brief periods where

he says he’s over doing it

and will slow down.

But after a week, it’s every night.

That used to really bother me;

perhaps it still does,

I just think about him less now.

Everything is like that, I feel. You hate it

for awhile

but we are really good at adapting.

I just can’t decide if that’s a good thing.

Trystan Brock

Written by

Attempting to write again.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade