Magic bottle
Captive djinn
"I can grant one wish, effendi."
Only one thing have I ever desired.
Oblivion.
Perfect.
Retroactive.
Eternal.
He hems and haws.
"It is too much."
"You can have riches, power, women, fame."
"You can have all that man desires."
Only one thing have I ever desired.
Oblivion.
Perfect.
Retroactive.
Eternal.
And so my life is vanishing.
Books disappear from shelves
Clothing from closets
Pans and food from cupboards
The car, a trash can, the sofa, old letters
All redistributed to someone else
The blender to an old woman in Dallas
A pack of batteries to a house across town
A filing cabinet to an office in Lawton
A pair of scissors to a family in Las Vegas
The flickering TV to a junkheap outside Abilene where the new owner threw it out three years ago
Only one thing have I ever desired.
Oblivion.
Perfect.
Retroactive.
Eternal.
Vital paperwork folds into nothingness.
Digital records are filled with zeroes
Family and friends forget my name.
My image fades from my photos
before the photos fade from the walls
Only one thing have I ever desired.
Oblivi