Rick Jackofsky

The Instant Karma of Autoignition

A few months ago, my neighbor exploded. Spontaneous combustion, they say. The fire marshal hypothesized that the event was most likely triggered by a static electrical charge, or perhaps a spark from the dog’s shock collar, coupled with the dog owner’s intake of copious amounts of alcohol.

If you ask me, a more likely explanation would be that his wife slipped some nitroglycerin into his whiskey. Or maybe she fed him a mixture of fertilizer and Limburger cheese. I hear you can find recipes for things like that on the internet.

the moon
howls back
#metoo 

Anyway, the neighborhood is a lot quieter these days. Mom had to get a job, and sometimes I hear Junior talking to himself while he plays ball in the backyard. But all in all, the family seems to be doing pretty well. Truth be told, I don’t think anyone really misses the pyrotechnically departed. Even the dog seems to be smiling more these days.

play by play
he passes the football
to himself

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About the Author

Rick Jackofsky, poet, songwriter, and paterfamilias of The Homegrown String Band, enjoys reading, writing, and sharing captured moments of clarity. His haiku, senryu, tanka, and haibun have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies.