thermos

i left a thermos in my truck once

i was working on the jobsite
things were cold
my hands were cold

the thermos had minestrone soup inside
homemade, of course
and at lunch i had poured the soup into the lid and eaten quietly

engine humming
heater turned on
NPR cooing

but then i left it in my truck
the thermos, i mean
forgotten behind the seat, too cold to go back for it

one night
two nights
a week

it was a sturdy thing
a green Stanley
a rugged thermos for a rugged man

two weeks
a month

i knew it was back there and i knew it was festering
kidney beans and elbow pasta
locked in a dark, moist environment

but i ignored it
i would deal with it later
temperature swings be damned

two months, three months
four
i took it out of the truck and put it in the garage but did not open it

time passing
the steel started to dimple outwards
and still i refused to open it
to face what was inside

-

happy thanksgiving
atm1