My Mother's Rotting Skull

"Soak it in bleach! Soak it in bleach! Soak it in bleach!" I screamed at the butcher. "Take the ears off and give them to me, give them to me now!!!!!!!!!!"

He took the ears off and gave them to me.

I keep them in my wallet.

Then came the day the entire thing was delivered to my door, FedEx, long truck, weird things on the side of the truck, the driver must have done pot 'cause the smell was on him. I asked him for a joint and he just said "Sign here asshole" and stomped off, and only stopped once to lick the ground.

Then I ripped open the package and there it was, and I took it out and went to get my wallet to see if the ears fit, and they did!!!!!

Now it's kind of a thing in my kitchen, and I slobber on it when I put ketchup in my mouth and blow bubbles. You can tell me true that you never made a ketchup bubble? Then when I have the stuff on there, on the surface, ketchup stained and rubbed around, and the cat won't even get close enough to lick it, I take it to the mall and walk up and down with it, up and down. Before too long security comes round to give me a good talking to and that's when I run.

A merry chase ensues.

On weekends we visit people, it and I, and some of the more conscious people look at it strangely (most don't even notice it) and others welcome both of us with open arms and hugs. You can tell who your real friends are.

Do you have things for it?

Now is the time to bring things to it. Gifts, and pieces of others like it. The holes where the seeing things were, and the smelling thing, they're pretty big and candles fit way up in there. If the bottom has fallen out, along with some of the biting things, do step carefully, look on the rug before resting your neck there. Disregard all the other darkening things down on the rug, and just glance under the couch and lamp stand to see if some of it has taken steps, stairs are beyond it's talent but you do know that straight surfaces provide the quickest entry-route to the belly? Wait...wait...

There's a piece of it! It fits right, about, here!

Now almost whole again, I take it to the parishoners as I make my rounds. Some are sick, and moan about their lot in life, and I just take it out and show it to them and they quiet up very sudden white-faced like. They then "Show you to the door please". When I pull my jacket up to almost cover the collar, and hold the thing high over my head with both hands as I come to the next house, I can see the curtains move even as they pretend to play the 'no one at home' game. . .

They pretend!!

So we leave, it and I, and go to the cinema. Two seats please. And a dish of rice cakes, just in case.