Hardrock miner…

My people are a storytelling society…

Stories of hunting,

traveling,

people gatherings,

hardships,

humourous situations,

death and birth

are told to us in the comfort of a warm tent…

after a hot meal…

Inuit people are good listeners,

as I have come to realize…

— David Rubin Piqtoukun as quoted in Stones, Bones, and Stitches

The other day I was in a casual conversation on the sidelines of one of my children’s sporting activities,

and it should be no surprise by now,

that the subject followed a path from jock itch to Viagra,

and some samples he’d found laying around…

Just to see what it was like…

I pushed him right up against a wall with the back of my hand,

and did not give him an inch to move…

Without even lifting a finger…

I said,

What???!!!!

like instead of dropping acid,

or taking mushrooms,

you swallowed Viagra…

Just for fun???!!!!!?????

He said,

Well, yeah…

And it was incredible…

I got all charged up…

But that was at least eight years ago…

Please…

I divided his lie by 365 and came up with,

more like eight days ago…

I wanted to know,

Why would you need Viagra to get all charged up in your forties???!!!????

Do you have a problem,

that needs a little liquid plumber???

You know…

Down there…

I pointed south,

below his equator,

with my eyes…

He puffed up like a peacock,

which was a lost effort since I’d already seen that his true colours were clouded with mustard gas,

and said,

Oh no,

nothing like that…

My wife and I just wanted to give it a try…

To see how it was…

Don’t tell anyone about this…

I only did it once…

Right…

We all know about only doing it once,

to experiment,

just for fun…

Self-medicating ourselves out of a real experience,

where just running your hands down another person’s back,

opens your heart,

and everything else,

up like a flower…

All I can taste is this moment...