Episodes of an Unknown Man

A man pours himself into a glass.

A man stands in the dark. He switches on the light to the corridor, and is silhouetted by it. He walks down the length of the corridor. At the far end, he switches off the light.

A man hears piano music in his head. It is a song he does not know. It has no words.

A man drags on a cigarette and the smoke fills him for a second. Then he releases and looks to the cigarette, unsure if he should take another drag.

A man stands and pees. A little urine strokes his thigh. Unsure what to do, he eventually lets it be, and returns to bed.

A man opens a suitcase. There are some old clothes in it. They should bring back some memories but the memories are too patchy and nothing coalesces. The clothes do not fit any more.

A man invites himself to dinner. He takes care with the preparation, and the ingredients are good. As he chews his food alone, he feels a surge of disgust with the mechanics of eating. The next mouthful is without joy.

A man looks at a photograph of a stranger. He imagines himself as the stranger, happy at being photographed. He cannot make himself believe that he will ever feel that way.

A man puts on an old coat and walks out into the rain. He has no particular place to go, and circles his neighbourhood turning left and right at random until he tires and heads home.

A man waits. He does not know what for. He rubs his cheek against his own shoulder.

It ebbs away and there is an end to it. Posted into the ether, they pass without remark.

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