the echo in this hotel atrium
echo in this atrium
echo in this hotel atrium is pronounced
a fountain near me fountains
gurgling its fontane gurgling
fontane song
a woman laughs
her laughter echoes
her perfume i can smell
it smells fruity
fruity woman in the atrium
i am eating an apple
an apple seed is in my mouth and i would like to spit it out
i pull it out instead
politely
discreetly
using thumb and middle finger
according to certain principles of design
what’s left of the apple is on the table in front of me
turning brown as apples do
i pick it up
i take a bite
the sound of my biting
snapping
crunching
echoes
i take another bite
a door chime chimes
chimes nearby and echoes
the woman still smells like fruit
she laughs again
a vacuum cleaner vacuums clean a hall around the corner from the fountain
fontane gurgling
the apple tastes good
a heavy object clatters in the
heavy object clatters in the hall
echoing echoes echo
(Copyright 2023 by Tetman Callis.)