"an essay about the economy" by Lee Patterson

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an essay about the economy


I was out of work because I was out of work, so I applied to an ad on craigslist for an open position to be a gravedigger. the next day, a prop plane appeared at my front door. a note was attached to the driver’s side window: go cumulonimbus—dig lifesize craters in the sky. spray painted on the side of the plane: birds are the new worms. I grabbed my shovel, kissed my wife goodbye, & took flight. I spent the next forever digging graves in the clouds, watching the dead float like runaway balloons. when I came home, my wife bought mouthwash in bulk as I brushed the ozone out of my teeth. my nights were filled with dreams of corpses falling from the sky, zombies waking up mid-fall, dying a second time mere moments later.

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