THENEWYORKER,AUGUST19, 2019 51
T
oday is to be Parts of the Parts
of my
Sure, Jer Please do Point
at parts of me while saying the name of
it off our list of Words Worth Knowing.
Agespot
Finger
Wrist
At wrist Jer says, This one’s been
broken, seems like.
Then pokes.
Ouch? he says.
Yes, I say.
Groin
Waist
You were no spring chicken, says
Jerry.
I do not understand what you just
said, please explain, I say.
You were not young, Jerry says.
Your body is not the body of a young
person.
Oh, that’s cool, I say. That’s cool, Jer.
Jer shakes his head his certain way
Meaning: 89, you crack my ass up.
Long ago, perhaps one week, we
had Explain Time, due to figure of
speech crack my ass up All asses
are precracked, turns out, even mine,
which Jer helped me learn by taking
of phonephoto.
Arm
Leg
Navel
Scar, on Stomach
Penis
All morning we continue learn
ing and learning until no part of me
remain.
A
nd at night all night as every night
a tape playing in here helps im
prove me our Syntax.
H
ave we done bellow? Jer says.
Makes loud startling sound.
Now you, Jer says.
I bellow.
So, what we are going to be bellow
ing at? Jer says. Whoever is standing
across from us.
Whoever is standing across from us,
I say.
Feel free to bellow words or phrases,
he says.
HELLO! I bellow.
You are always so good at everything,
89, he says.
Then pours into me, so generous,
by saying them, some words I may wish
to bellow:
Bastard
Turd
Creep
Idiot
May we do Defining? I say.
Uh, sure, Jer says.
Turns out, all mean same:
Bastard = individual standing across
from us.
Turd = individual standing across
from us.
Creep = individual standing across
from us.
Idiot = individual standing across
from us.
89, I have always so far called you 89,
Jer says. But tomorrow you are to be
come Greg. How’s that?
I am Greg? I say.
Will be, Jer says. Tomorrow. Tomor
row is, guess what? Job One Day.
Exciting! Have been waiting long
for Job One Day Job One turns
out per Jer is: high and noble as all
getout Per Jer: I will stand for free
dom For poor and sick Will defend
weak From oppressors.
More Defining, with help of Handi
Pics:
Freedom = cartoon bird flies above
land, smile on beak.
Poor = sad child, pockets sticking out
of pants.
Sick = thin guy in bed, “X”s for eyes.
Weak = guy in desert, trying to reach
water glass, failing.
Oppressor = tall guy with monster
face sticks stick into body of weak as,
in four HandiPics in row, weak gets
more weak with each poke.
Why do oppressors wish to poke weak?
I say.
They’re bad, says Jer. Have to be
stopped.
From doing that, I say.
Correcto, says Jer. And you’re a big
part of the solution.
What the what! as Jer might say.
Never have I felt being me to be so
worth it so far.
J
ob One Day!
Bus, Jer says. Cohort.
Cohort = many new pals on bus All,
like me, in greens.
Rumbling and we move.
Talk among yourselves, Jer says.
We do We do so Each of us say
our names I say mine of Greg That
one is Larry That one is Vince So
is that one And that one And that
one This one is Greg like me As is
that one That one, Greg also So is
that one Greg, near the front Here is
Conor Seven Conors in all Eight
Williams All happy Except Jer.
Jer, on phone: Hey, nice naming, Ro
berta. And that was your one damn job.
Cranky, I say. Crankypants.
Guess what, 89, Jer says soft ly
You talk better than any of these other
galoots.
True: my cohort speaks rather baby,
somewhat low l y.
Because of you, Jer, I say.
Rumbling ends.
Ready, pal? Jer says. To bellow?
Hope so, I say.
J
er and other equal Supervisors lead
us To : trees But something
wrong: Our tree, in our HandiPic,
has squirrel No squirrel at all
near these trees! They better fix our
HandiPic!
Supervisors say, Take off greens
Fold and leave here Then give us
new of various colors I look at
ourselves naked with a rather shyness
Having only previous seen own penis,
groin, gut in own Room Valiant
mirror We dress quick ly Follow
Jer and Supervisors down hill Small
white flowers bob as we Say, I have
not walked this far in
Well, ever!
There they are, Jer says.
And yes there they So many Bas
tards, Turds, Creeps, Idiots standing
across from us Between them and us:
long low area I would term: river Filled
not with water though but Police look
ing nervous.
I feel shy being first to bellow but
love Jer so much I just bellow.
Others join Gregs, Conors, Wil
liams, Vinces All join Bellowing
until our throat actually hurts.
BastardTurdCreepIdiot! one Conor
bellows.
What a creative way to He just
runs them all togeth
Do we ever stand for sick and poor,
defend weak from oppressors! By
bellowing at those BastardTurd
CreepIdiot! Across that approximate
