The Mask of Dahlias, by Jose Hernandez Diaz

Listen here:

A man in a “Baudelaire for President” shirt rode a crowded bus downtown to a convention center. He was going to debut his new book of prose poems: “The Mask of Dahlias.” The new book was about various philosophical concepts, which cannot be broken down into a single definitive sentence. He was nervous about sharing his new book, but also excited about the serene possibilities. The man in a “Baudelaire for President” shirt practiced reading from his book aloud on the circus of a bus. People on the bus turned around and gave him odd looks. The man in a “Baudelaire for President” shirt ignored them. Instead, he focused on the rhythm of his words echoing with the swishing sounds of the vibrant city. When he got off the bus, he entered the convention center with a bounce to his step, eager to share his new work. The man in a “Baudelaire for President” shirt soon disappeared, like a shifty magician, into the crowd of over-caffeinated strangers.

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