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Splinter Conversations: A Poem

Amid all the other noises, there are words that drift on the wind:

“Do you have advent calendars?”
“Hang on, I'll call grocery. Chocolate or heroin?”
“Um. Heroin.”
“...an extra twenty cents for lettuce?”
…

…
“I could send you to prison for that, you know.”
“Nothing. Nothing. Nothing, nothing. Nothing.”
“Nothing. Nothing.”
“Pomegranates. Bah!”
“Sir?”
“BAH!”
…
“...they took my wife...”
“And so that's the love of JESUS, you know...”
“Oh, yes, and the seven days of fire. You know, it's like in Bible camp...”
“Molten ash and belching flames. Say, what are you bringing to the picnic next week?”
“It just makes sense. Five dimes, four pennies, and two quarters makes $1.50. You see? It just makes sense. Five dimes is fifty cents. Four pennies is five cents. Two quarters are 95 sense. Sense. You see? Two quarters are 45 apiece. You see? It just makes cents.”
“No, no, give it to me, give it to me NOW for a lower price...a lower price...a lower price...MAN, I NEED IT. Oh please, no, it's unfair, give me a discount. Please, I'll even do you dirty, man, I'll do you dirty right out back to get the discount...”
“Ludd was right. Place is evil. Ludd was right.”
“Nothing nothing nothing nothing. Nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing NOTHING—”
“It's a certain nom de guerre.”
“A what?”
“NOM DE GUERRE. IT MEANS 'NAME OF WAR.'”
“Oh, sorry, haha. I didn't catch the noun.”
“NOM DE GUERRE IS NOT A NOUN. IT'S AN EXPRESSION.”
“Oh, yes, it's lovely. I just bleach my gut about eight times a week. The layers come out and I know I'm clean...”
“Gotta watch those chemicals. Those chemicals. Those CHEMICALS. Those CHEMICALS in your food like WORMS IN BREAD—”
“Is it a chip? Is it a chip? NOTHING NOTHING.”
“NOTHINGNOTHINGNOTHINGNOTHINGJOINUSNOTHINGNOTHINGNOTHINGNOTH—”
“Listen man. Discount. Please. Discount?”
“I-I like to lick...I like to lick the—the. The young ladies...”
“NOTHINGNOTHINGNOTHINGNOTHINGNOTHINGNOTHING.”
“Please. Please.”
“Please. Please. Please.”
“Please.”
“...”
“...”
“...”

Every so often it is perfectly still and silent, and when those moments happen they are all staring at you with one shark's gaze.
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