dream sequence

i've always had bad luck with
things that have more than four
or less than three wheels

so I probably shouldnt have attempted to man the chartered bus
down icy roads
in the middle of the night
even though the driver bailed
and i was feeling cocksure

the bus belonged to the photo department
or at least
was only occupied by photostudents
all seven were lost in the wreckage
the snow in the gutters
dyed brown from oil before
igniting
like some sign burning bush
hitting me over the head

nobody saw

i guess in my id

mama never raised me not to
rifle through dead men's pockets

i made it
to wherever we were heading
my jacket unmussed
sweat freezing in the night air
flicked to the ground shattering

it was a party
a gala even
for the end of the semester
no one noticed the cheap wine poured into nice glasses
sparkling

like every rippling
dreamy eye in the room
i had done it
leaps and bounds
what i'm trying to do
and they were celebrating me
money
employment
residence
my recent neuroses that i would be evicted by all future roommates would
no longer matter
people respected
my work

and then

there's alwayd
and then

as a guy was handing me my coat
a faceless brunette in a shiny blue dress
silk, or maybe
pleather
slinked across my arm
a pocket ripped
and a charred and torn
checkbook
i had not yet disposed of
dropped
slowmotion
to the floor
all eyes watching
and in
an instance
a 'thap'
it was gone

murderer
they called me

and it was all taken away