i went to a funeral today for a man i barely knew but i felt like i should go i mean he was a neighbor of my parents for decades so it felt right even though i couldn't even tell you his first name without thinking really hard i remember his wife though she had really kind eyes i don't know what that has to do with anything it just came to mind anyway the service was in this really old church you know the kind where the air feels heavy and smells like dust and old hymnals it was mostly quiet just a few sniffles here and there and the occasional creak of a pew my own seat was so hard i thought my tailbone was going to snap off and then it happened i felt this tickle in my throat like a little feather fluttering around but it kept getting worse and worse i tried to swallow it down i really did but it just wouldn't go away i coughed once a little dry cough hoping it would pass but it just made it worse made it feel wetter almost i mean i don't even — whatever.