young prose

this is not a man you know.
it’s a decoy. a distraction. the human hidden ball trick.
this is a man, constructed.
strung together by pocket lint and things that happened on paper.
tax returns, telephone logs, previous landlords, old banking receipts.

this is a man made from paper.

this is a man whose story was argued over before it was written.
this was before they talked theory into the night.
this was before they gave him tasks to perform.
night missions requiring intelligence and stealth.
this was before he dreamt of dark clothes and rooftops in the rain.

this is a man, inventoried.
this is a man you know.
no different from all of the rest.