numbers game

numbers game

On May
5,
1988, CDC #
60840,
1 of California Medical Facility blues and formerly
1 of
1700 Northern Reception Center greens, awoke, lifted his head off his
6318L, eased from between the
2 white sheets topped by
2 grey wool army blackest, reched for and shoved into
1 of
6 white T-shirt issues,
1 of
6 pair of slate grey state socks,
1 of
2 short-sleeve blue shirts, squeezed into his
2 sneakers, ambled through the
1 large, tiled stark bathroom, released with relief
1 lengthy leak in
1 of
4 bare porcelain urinals, passed on any and all of the
4 equally bare porcelain shitters, glanced uncertainly at his face in
1 of the
5 hazy metal mirrors staring out above each of the
5 wash sinks, locked his
1 lanky grey stalwart metal locker, combination
14 left
32 right
18 left, lurched through
1 of the
2 exits of dorm,
3, Unit
5, quietly shuffled Metropolis-like
10 at a time in for breakfast,
1 of
3 squares daily, at
7 a.m., picked cautiously for
1 plastic spoon,
1 plastic fork, inspected and selected for
1 tan melmac cup, inverted off of a pile
1 matching melmac tray, (neatly 5 compartmented), accepted
1 milk
2 sugar packets
1 handy individual pack dry Kellog’s cereal
2 eggs
3 strips of transparent dripping bacon
2 slices of ultra-white tepid toast
1 piece of fruit, and sat for a
20 minute meal at
1 steel table of
4 in a row on
1 of
4 miniscule attached seats. Exiting, he eeniemeenieminiemoed
1 surprise bag lunch, flashed work card #
8314, pay #
36 dollars, reported to work at Ext.
2479 for the next
7 hours, (though at
9 a.m. he broke for roughly
20 minutes to exchange
2nd draw laundry), returned to dorm module
3 at
15 minutes past
4 p.m. for the half-past
4 o’clock count, made a
15 minute phone call at
1 of
4 attached open-air booths prior to dinner at
6 p.m., then somnambulated through
2 hours of T.V. (choice of
13 channels) on his,
1 of
25 sets in a
35 man structure, in his
3 man cubicle. Following a
1 hour stroll, he returned for the
10 o’clock count. Computed at
3 months of
1 third time and
9 months of
1 half time,
60840 has about
3 years remaining, but who’s counting?