The window washer
Saw a man at his desk
With his tie off
Holding a revolver
He wasn’t scheduled
To clean that window
On that day
So he saw what he saw
In passing
Some men hold revolves
He told himself
It doesn’t mean anything
Something about being
In that position
Up so high
Even when you get used to it
You never get over
The feeling of vulnerability
And that’s what keeps you
Good at your job
Never forgetting
That it is not dangerous
Provided you’re safe
But that even the safest people
Have moments
Where they forget
Where they make a mistake
Just like how holding a gun
Can be safe
Until it’s not
Until you forget something
Until you forget it’s a gun
The window washer
Doesn’t take his phone
Up with him on the job
Because if you do
And you get caught
You’re written up
He’d have to go down
To report the man
And what floor was that?
What suite?
What would he say?
That there’s a man
Sitting in his office
Holding a gun?
Did the man look upset?
No
Did the man have the gun
Pointed at himself?
No
Can you even say exactly
That you saw
What you think you saw?
Not really
You see all kinds of things
And you see them
The way you see
Those old movies
That would roll by
On paper
Telling one
Never-stopping story
The man was sitting
Next to his desk
But away from it
His legs stretched out
The gun sitting in his lap
Like something he found
Like something he was interested in
But unfamiliar with
The window washer
Knows that if she stops working
To report this
And nothing comes of it
His boss won’t be happy
And he still needs to ask
For that vacation
Next month
He’s a good worker
Never a problem
But his boss has a low tolerance
Even for good workers
Even for the best
One guy had a heart attack
While working
And the boss griped about
How far it set them back
For weeks
It’s just windows
It’s just windows with some dirt on them
How much does the dirt
Bother the people
On the inside
Looking out
Do they even think about it?
Do they even notice
When it’s gone?
He finishes the day
And when he’s done
He asks his boss
If there’s been any news
Anything exciting
Going on
In the building
‘You think I know
What goes on
Inside there,’
His boss asks him
The window washer
Looks down at his hands
Red, from holding on so tight
His whole shift
Not even realizing
He was doing it
‘No,’ he says,
‘I guess you wouldn’t’
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