Enlightened
April 10th, 2021
Starring: Perry (male, late 20’s/early 30’s)
A hockey game penalty box. Perry’s sitting in there, alone, with a bloodied nose/face. There’s a penalty clock next to him, ticking down:
PERRY
My wife won’t watch
When I was in the lower leagues she would
Before she got into Buddha
But now
In the big show
Never
She can’t stand it
Suffering
She could win a trophy for avoiding it
Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil
However it goes
...
I wrecked this guy tonight
Boarded him
Bad
When a hit really hits you know
Everyone knows
The team, refs, crowd, the body hitting ice
It sounds different
Like someone cuts the volume
Pulls the plug
Suspension’s coming
I knew it
I wanted to
In the moment it made sense
It always makes sense
Has to
Cause if you don’t
Believe that
If you sit in it
Right and wrong
Then you’re not ready
For that moment someone hits you
Cause it’s coming
…
It is a relief
Knowing she’ll never see it
Hear it
Talk about it
She’ll keep on her path
I’ll keep on mine
To enlightenment.
The penalty clock ticks down to zero. Perry gets up and skates out of the box, zooming back into the game.