Curses!

My mind scatters again, watching faculty enter the building rather than following one line of thought. I want to be funny today, but it’s not happening. Perhaps the sky oppresses me today, flattening my affect, encouraging depression.

Rain whispers down outside, barely discernible against the trees. I scrutinize the sky for it, but focus fades quickly. It’s like the image the projector first throws onto the screen, zooming in and out of focus as my eyes struggle to adjust.

Let me run at the Curses part of the topic from another angle. Whom or what do I want to curse?

• whoever is responsible for taking Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip off the air
• fleas that pester my dog
• people who throw trash out their windows ("litter" is too genteel of a word)
• migraines that attack Wes
• people whose panties tangle regularly
• people who shout in regular conversations and who refuse to cede the floor
• anyone who cuts me off in traffic
• the computer gremlins that deny Internet access to Katie and Sheri
• any train leaving from Philadelphia at the same time as a train leaving from Los Angeles that intends to travel at different speeds and meet somewhere in the middle and expect me to figure out when and where

Now, I start seeing where to go with this topic. I can imagine a poem written that curses people or a recipe for a potion to curse someone or something.