The Best Laid Plans Yes, I remember it like it was yesterday a thousand odd coincidences igniting in unison And you, my dear, the very picture of what passes for civility testifying before the ugly truth commission reciting my crimes from a dog-eared facsimile opportunity, motivation, damning DNA evidence star government witness from a parallel universe playing to the camera, all wide third-eye innocence shifting personas from accomplice to virgin sacrifice spilling the beans to a bunch of old guys in bad suits my perfect accomplice flipped for chump change I ask you, who could have seen this coming? Yes, I remember the night with painful acuity a million stars framing the rendezvous coordinates And you, my dear, wholly responsible for the maddening details our rough-idling rental, faulty pawn shop artillery exhibit "A" briefcase whisked from motel vacancy two shadows in the weeds following a treasure map criminals of the worst sort, lousy with dumb luck decoding perfect plans scrawled on wet bar napkins our thick skins skinned thin by barbed wire fencing precise in the early stages, but drunk in execution arguing over stupid details as the dogs grew near god almighty, where have I heard that before? Yes, I remember the final gift of submission the black cloak falling away in a shrug and a sigh And you, my dear, suddenly unavailable for comment your perfect voice reduced to code, mixed in the ether three repeated notes in descending chime arrangement like church bells, doorbells, a buzzer on the pearly gate the clicking of their microphones like summery crickets and finally the rush of capture, separation, white light surgical gauze, dabbed with alcohol, brushing your lips and my lips, parting in telepathic Siamese simpatico forming the words, "I shall never betray you" So tell me, what the hell was I thinking? ----

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