Paul was automated speech, bike riding through the park, snow falling, ready for redial, skipping stones in the pond, getting ignored again, visiting Aunt Lori after school & listening, listening, listening.

Paul was in the business of looking more busy than he really was, doodles on backs of post it notes, flash fiction on the reverse side of invoices, counting words.

Paul was told ‘time is money” & believed it when coupled with quantity not quality calling, a manager making rounds three times an hour hanging up “too long calls.”

Paul was too good at listening & when kept on a call about “a grandson your age who works in the city” time is money comes to mind.

Paul was once told never to use the sentence construction “x of y” as in “motion of diesel” or “tears of sadness.” It was just too easy.

Paul was printed on the side of a city bus | a constraint | text moving in the moaning motion of diesel accelerating, non-sequitur following a simple route.

Paul was selling but not seeing the script, encouraging conversation & steering words away from religion & politics, & placing product suggestions between false listening.

Paul was ring one, ring two & then hello & then “Can I have a moment of your time to explain the value of…”

Paul was a pause. The need to invigorate undirected words with open space. & then the dialtone again, ringing up the next caller.

Paul was skimming, or skipping, brief hops or jumps, kind of working outside the constraints of counting or always saying the same.

Paul was headset on, eyes staring straight into grey cube & computer monitor, opening line on lips, & ready for redial.

Paul was a stone thrown over pond, side armed technique to better align the rock with the water’s smooth surface.

Paul was scrolling page postings, using each new title-less entry as a stanza break, a scene change, a movement.

Paul was fiction [of this which I hope is charged more with poetry] is never on one page.

Paul was eventually pulled out of the mass, one word will right | write | Saturday, snow, a cardinal.

Paul was if you call that many people, somebody, somewhere, will in fact purchase your wares.

Paul was not the singular strong stroke | sprint | but the continuous tedious training for race.

Paul was the archived paper, an original to be posted at a later date.

Paul was the between sentences in fiction that serve to space out plot.

Paul was example: today I am using twelve words for January 12^th.

Paul was a quantity of words determined by the corresponding date.

Paul was based on reading date, order | experience | to change.

Paul was how to arrange? upward or downward cascade?

Paul was the words always are an image.

Paul was the words became an image.

Paul was sudoku#6 Paul was call.

Paul was perhaps, order later.

Paul was on process.

Paul was wordcount.

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