Subject

I

Past tense conditional

• could have
• should have
• would have

then there would be a past tense verb.

But what’s weird is that there would be a past tense verb (she whispers, “died”) that never happened.

Conjugation is such an odd thing. That there could even be a past tense for a non-occurrence. Future conditional is also an oddity. Conditional may just be a waste of thought. It is imperfect anyhoo.

Superstitiously, I look at the fading bruise on my arm. It doesn’t hurt at all. It looks pretty bad.

This is a metaphor for all of it.

After each soporific round, I’m better able to navigate from one end of the room to the other. After each round I look at that bruise and see it diminish just a bit.

When it is gone, I’ll be able to walk again without thinking.

The yellow is gone. The blue isn’t so much. The angry purple is fading. I am sure I am getting better.