She must have thought
I was bringing up
some blingy new couture.

I had just told her
there had been another one
this time in Allentown.

Voracious newshounds that we are
we knew all about the other ones
in Edmonton and Miami
in Sarasota and Spokane
and of course the really big one
up there in liberal Minneapolis.

Never mind all the others
that never got a headline.

Last month I read an article
said it was everywhere now
that it may have even been imported
by the Israeli secret service.

I guess it went viral
like so many bad things
seem to do nowadays.

Anyway it was early in the morning
we had just fed the cats
and had only managed
a couple sips of coffee so far.

I had to repeat myself
at least two or three times.

She could not for the life of her
figure out why I kept repeating
that odd phrase over and over again.

Another knee on neck.

When it finally hit her
she laughed
uproariously
one of the things about her
that I love so much.

Then she stopped
right in mid laugh.

We looked at each other
grimaced in abject horror
and went back to our coffees

black.