I’ll Be Lucky if I See Tomorrow

Originally published in First Class Literary Magazine

Driving south on a rural road that beamed through the desert, he smoked a joint and he chewed sunflower seeds to stay awake.

A lone cow stood in the middle of a sandy wash, miles from water. “Poor son of a bitch,” he said.

Time and speed both seemed tangible things now. He chewed sunflower seeds and spit the husks in a Styrofoam cup.

Then he saw it. Lying in a ditch on the side of the road. A dead owl. Its eyes were wide open, and they looked at him.

The desert is full of bad omens, he thought. I’ll be lucky if I see tomorrow.