I did the following to get my mind off the possibility that I've developed skin cancer. I had my annual visit with the dermatologist, today, and she took samples from a couple of probable spots for biopsies. I'll have the results in a week. I have other spots on my arms, neck and chin that are pre-cancer so will be using a special cream on them. What a joy. Outwardly I'm calm; inwardly I'm WTF???

Needless to say, I'm going to be doubling down on getting APoS done, just in case. And fuck trying to get a publisher or agent interested. That'll take too long and too much effort. What matters is the book gets out.

Anyway, to take my mind off it, for a bit, I wrote a little dittie that's very wicked. Maybe a companion piece to the one I posted with Freddy as the victim. We shall see. This is the image that set it going.

The hour was late before Ray headed homeFrom his brother's party, as held at Le Dome. The blues and blacks of the night's sharp monochrome Made him feel so easy, he thought he would roam Since he had a condo that wasn't too far. But he didn't notice when that big blue car Pulled out of the parking lot next to the bar And quietly followed him. Back doors ajar. He reached his street and as he started to turn The car pulled ahead of him. Too late to learn Four men were inside of it, and each did burn To force Ray to join in their weekend sojourn. So out they jumped and around him they did swarm To bind him and gag him. Then to his alarm, Into their trunk, he went. Oh, they meant him harm, And he knew he'd never escape them, through charm. For three weeks Ray vanished and could not be found. The fear grew that he was six feet underground. Then one day he showed up, and he looked half-drowned. "I'll tell you what happened," he said. "Gather 'round." His body was bruised and the scars on his back Proved without a doubt he'd been under attack. "Four men took turns beating me, in a room black, And raping me, each one a wild maniac. I spoke to one softly, and I made him care. Then I learned a secret that they did not share. The room was a cellar, and all its fresh air Came through a vent in the ceiling. So there I focused my efforts to set myself free. The black paint had hidden it well. I could see, That it was too narrow for someone like me But it proved an excellent decoy. That's key. So when one of them came in to have his sick joy, I hid in the shadows, and I did employ The sight of the open vent. I wasn't coy. He ran off to tell them that they'd lost their boy. He left the door open. I raced down the hall To stairs leading up and outside. Their footfall Was fast coming after me, and they did call For me to stop running. What I did was haul As fast as I could to a thick grove of trees And hid in there. Grateful for a gentle breeze. Then made my way here, keeping hidden. For these Madmen now wanted to kill me. So please, Let me have a good meal and bath, and then I Will lead the police back to where they do lie." And that's what Ray did. He was some kind of guy. But never did we learn those men's reasons why.