at this time of night all the paper people
are driving around town with those flashers on
they park in the middle of the road outside my window and bag the papers

I imagine Michael Jackson riding sheep jumping over a fence
I count the Jacksons

a car rolls onto the fence and I see myself crawling out

there is glass in my beard and in my face

I am feeling around my feet to see if I can get free

a bunch of Michael Jacksons surround the car and lift it up

I am covered in blood but the Jacksons pull me out of the wreckage

they hold me up on their shoulders and quietly exclaim, ‘yaaay’

I lay back in these arms and they carry me to the ambulance

two girls with gashes in their heads are laying in the ambulance

both of them sit up at the same time

some blood moves down a forehead and curves in the socket

‘wow’ one of them says, ‘that was some trick Mr. Wall.’

‘aw heck’ I say

‘it was nothing kid,
it was nothing.’