i sat in a diner
last night, for several
years, sipping coffee, (laced
with heaps of cream and sugar).

sometime earlier i had
borrowed
earth from atlas, and
i toyed with it in my left jacket pocket,
while the red vinyl booth
squeaked
from the weight of my capacious
behind.

i freed the cosmos
from its denim confines, and
placed it on the table, between several
questionable
stains, and a crack in the
linoleum.

from my right-hand pocket, i removed
my brain, and proceeded
to wipe the world clean with it.
after quickly losing interest in my pursuit, i
accidentally
dropped it, (the planet, i mean),
and watched

it bounce from
displaced vinyl to the grimy tile
floor, and roll beneath the juke box,
out of sight.

i stared
for a moment, and then
returned to my coffee, wondering
how atlas might react to
his new-found loss
of employment.