-the forensic findings concerning the demise

of Antoine’s novelty remain inconclusive-

today marks the first
anniversary regarding the questionable demise

of Antoine’s ideal inflatable wife,—

the warm

breath once inside her, quietly

dispersed through the stillness of nightfall.

now Antoine's payments are past-due.

mischief has been alleged.

recently, Antoine seemed annoyed
by the simplest of things;—
the unavailability of typewriter ribbon, or
by common annoyances such as

a minimum of three eggs per dozen
cracked and oozing in their cartons, knowing

the return policy is a maze of time consuming requirements.

Antoine's ideal inflatable wife once glistened, flesh-

colored caucasian cloaked in the vinyl scent of petroleum,—

her constant eyes possessed,
the alluring lead-red circle of her mouth,

the torrid grand canyon between her pliable breasts,

(especially when inflation is temporarily decreased)

and the exploration of the narrow isthmus of canal,–– but then

the slow, determined release of carbon
dioxide, –– Antoine's own breath of life

seeping into the night as he lay sleeping,

his once beloved ideal inflatable wife now punctured,

wrinkled-flat and lifeless, the diminished seeping, the moonlight

reflecting the surfaces closest to it the way it always did.