i’m at the local place where the people gather
to consume each other
and i realize: everyone has the madness
everyone has a number printed on their forehead
a number between 0 and 100
and it is our chance of flipping out
and killing someone
so what is the threshold
at which one should take action?
at what number should one suggest
that someone should take a break?
that someone should seek help?
that someone should be taken away in a crate
with a sign marked The Madness?
is your number better if you are clean and poli
te
yet stare into the distance for hours at a time
with a glaze over your eyes that recognizes no human animation?
or is it preferable to smell like a rotting dog,
and be upfront about your desire for the things that other people have?
so i’m slurping and lurking at this place and wondering:
who makes the numbers to place upon the foreheads,
and who says what they mean?
and is there a statistician that can calculate compound probability
and tell me what my chances of surviving this terrifying trip are?
and where is the nearest mirror?