the end of the hallway smells of cat urine 

as i come out of the elevator it touches my sniffing faculty as if to say: 

welcome home cowboy, we have missed you 

i am no more a cowboy than i am a human being capable of developing a strong emotional foundation with another living creature 

i am no more a cattle rancher than i am a string bean stojko (elvis) with the ability to manipulate a unicycle down a back alley dumpster dash 

i am no more a roughneck than i am a man able to fight off the blues with a carousel of kick punch karaoke 

alas, through it all: 

the bingo rounds 

the dance dance revolutions 

the romantic espionage 

i have somehow managed to maintain my sense of smell 

you know, there must be an awards organization that i can submit to for this, maybe: 

the, ‘hey bro, you alright in 314?’ 

or the, ‘how many cats do you have?’ 

or the, ‘this is the worst poem i’ve ever written awards’ 

i hope you are content: 

for i am spellbound