The Way She Held Her Head by John A. Ward

The Way She Held Her Head
by John A. Ward

She had it tucked under her arm. A head is so heavy that wherever it goes, the body follows. Sure enough, she dropped it. It rolled across the floor and she dropped and rolled with it.

I ran over and trapped it with my foot. I learned that in soccer. I had to resist the urge to dribble or kick it clear of the goal.

"Hey," she said, "get your foot off my nose."

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said. "Do you want me to pick you up?"

"Do you think that just because I'm in a bar alone I'm looking to get picked up?"

"No, I mean do you want me to pick you up off the floor?"

"Yeah, that would be nice. Turn my head so I can see myself."

I rolled it around with my foot until her eyes were pointing at her body.

"There. Is that better?"

"Damn, my skirt is up over my shoulders. You can see my panties. I hope you're getting an eyeful."

"I really wasn't looking." That was a lie. They were black with lace trim.

"Don't look at my body. My eyes are down here. Just pick up my head and the rest of me will follow."

I did and she stood up. "Does this mean if I carried your head out the door all of you would follow me?"

"I'd have to, but don't get any ideas. I'll bite you."

I gripped her noggin by the hair and held it at arms length. It tried to swing up and chomp me, but it had no leverage. "I don't think you can. Do you want me to join you at the neck?"

"Please. It has a bayonet mount. Just line up the dots and twist."

"Ah, I see. It's just like my camera. How did it get that way? Did you have surgery?"

"Yes, after the accident. It's prosthetic."

"Your head or your body?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Actually, I would." The mount was cleverly designed to resemble a choker.

"There, twist and you're in one piece."

"Which do you think is the prosthesis? My head or my body?"

"It's hard to tell. They did a very good job. You're pretty."

"Thank you. I got the best. I had a good insurance plan, plus I sued for pain and suffering. They settled out of court for a bundle."

"OK, I really have no idea. Which part is the android?"

"Which do you think?"

"Well, I'm guessing that you would need a mind to decide to sue, and your brain is in your head. Your brain is very closely related to your mind. I know that chickens can run around with their heads cut off, but you're not a chicken and they don't have much personality or mind. So, I'm guessing your head is real."

"It's all real, but you're right. The head is carbon and the body is silicon."


Author bio:

John A. Ward was born on Staten Island, attended Wagner College in the early 60's, old his first poem to Leatherneck magazine, and became a scientist. He is now in San ntonio running, writing and living with his dance partner. He has published in oorknobs & Bodypaint, Clockwise Cat, Apollo's Lyre, Toasted Cheese, Green Tricycle, Alighted Ezine, Lit Bits, Cenotaph Pocket Edition, The San Antonio Express-News, ntithesis Common, Wild Child, Ascent Aspirations, Holy Cuspidor, Idlewheel, autionary Tale, Sentence, Sun Poetic Times, Byline, Quirk, ken*again, R-KV-R-Y, The moking Poet, Long Story Short and Rose & Thorn. Links to his work can be found at Dancing Fool.