Wishbone

We made do with what we had on the land

that was given to us. The land, gorged

with sand & dusty murals. How people lived

was quite simple. Holograms sold things

at the market. Money was no longer

the exchange unit of commodities as the crude

method of trade by barter was refined.

In the future, everyone had everything, &

one’s aggrandizement was fulfilled or marked

when he had the means to fulfill the bargain

of another through exchange. I know

the topography of this land; how arabesque

curtains were put aside & replaced by butterfly

wings, that when a person walked through

this curtain, his body was marked with

chalk & colours. When it rained, it didn’t

rain with fists—the rain treaded softly

on our skin, we hardly noticed we were wet.

The sun was an open book, & everyone could

actually tell what it was thinking. Everyone

knew what aspect of nature was hurt because

everyone was paying attention. If the wrong

flower was pruned down, it was given a

proper burial or refined & tacked to a belladonna

hat. Instead of individual perfumes, there

was a roster for a perfume to be released

into the air daily. People had more than they

could eat. Bread was made from mushrooms.

& when they wanted hot milk, they had dragon

milk. Paper cups could hold water & weeds

grew a consciousness not to make a home

where they weren’t wanted.

(Editors’ Note: “Wishbone” is read by Matt Peters on the Uncanny Magazine Podcast, Episode 65B.)

A Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy