Raw Earth Ink
spit, mixed with dirt – muddy words flow
Expiration Date
we all have expiration dates
he knew that because that’s what everyone always told him
they said that when his dad died at 51
they said that when his mom got sick
they said that when frank at the office fell off his chair during the quarterly meeting and died right there
they said that when he was seven and his cat got hit by a truck as he sat on the sidewalk chalk in hand
they said that when his annual stress test came back a bit too high…. again
they also said no one actually knows their expiration date
but they were wrong
he did
he saw it one day after he removed his work boots and set them at their place beside the door
it was a tag tied around his toe and he wondered how he never noticed it before
in fact he couldn’t even feel it there, it was just that the corner was peeking out and he got curious
he pulled it up to read it
there was his name and birthdate
and below that the curious inscription:
expires age 51 and then an even curiouser set of symbols
he had set his foot down shocked and numb
he was fifty
his dad died when he was 51 too
what the fuck?!
that was eighteen months ago
today was his fifty-second birthday
he wasn’t sure what to think
he wasn’t sure what to believe
he just wasn’t sure what to think anymore
he checked his tag again
this time he caught something he hadn’t noticed before
suddenly his whole world shifted
tara caribou | ©2020
47 Comments on “Expiration Date”
Raw Earth Ink 
Spooky read! Intriguing story 🙂
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I’m glad you liked it
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Weird, spooky, very much written by a woman. 💖
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I don’t understand the “woman” comment but thanks (I think??)
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Cool story
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Thanks
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Sounds frightening. Imagine if we all had predetermined times to die?
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Yes…. just imagine. But imagine if we could break free of that predetermination. What would that look like?! hhmmm
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This is awesome!
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Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed this.
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Loved it.
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You have my attention. Can’t wait to read the conclusion. Nice one Tara.
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The conclusion is in your imagination. You tell me…
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Very engrossing, loved reading it
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Thanks so much, Jude! 😌
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I love that you left it for the reader to decide what happens. My mind shifted towards the already dead ending, but upon further contemplation, I’m wondering if I should go all sci fi and say he was a clone living in a parallel dimension who survived his expiry date because of a glitch in the monitoring system. All kinds of possibilities. Great poem!
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Awesome!! I love your thoughts on it! My mind is an adventure with the possibilities.
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This is a great read Tara. For me it very much sums up how, for many of us, our minds work as we analyse and try to find meaning.
Would we want to know our expiry date? I guess we would never know how we’d react until we did…and by then it’d be too late!
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I agree. And some people think they would “do things different” if they only knew that date… but we should assume every day is a gift and unwritten.
So the question is, did this character change his own expiration date? Did he alter his future? Or was it not truly scripted to begin with? OR… did he travel from one reality to another, beyond his own life even??
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A gift indeed.
So many questions: had he passeed the actual hour of his birth? Did he breathe a sigh of relief, walk outside and get hit be a bus? Did the Grim Reaper check his dates incorrectly – and did someone else (someone whom.your lead loved) get taken instead.
Oh, I do love a bit of intrigue!!!
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I love all these questions, Chris! Perhaps one day we can collaborate and write something together! 😁
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It’s not something I’ve ever considered, and I’m not sure how reliable a collaborator I’d be…but I wouldn’t rule it out.
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I understand.
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Awesome read. I love “curiouser”. I’m always amazed how you can use a small amount of words to convey a large amount of feeling.
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Thanks Mr Puppeteer! I had fun with this one, the visual was quite interesting but I wanted to allow the reader to finish it themselves versus me doing it for them.
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I like that. It’s important, I think, to let the reader use their imagination and think about what the story means to them.
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I agree. It’s actually one thing I really appreciate about your own storytelling.
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Well, thank you 🙂
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Brilliant piece of work 👍
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Thanks Cassa! 😌
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SO many twists and turns.
But just being technical or maybe a bit dumb. If today is his 52nd B-day then the tag was wrong, after all? Or should it be his 52nd the next day?
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It is his 52nd birthday. Meaning, in some way, he passed his “expiration date”. How?? Well, that is what I leave to imagination. Was the tag wrong? Did make changes in the 18months preceding which altered it? Did he die and not realize it? Or…??
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Alright. Thanks for clarifying. I jut wasn’t sure which direction to take it in. Now I can wonder with certainty. LOL
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LOL – wonder away!! (not to be confused with ‘wander away’)
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Very well evoked
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I was just reminded how we can spend our time here wondering about the day we are no longer here or wondering what this day holds for us…
Tara Caribou…you make me think! 🤔
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Thanks V💕 Incidentally… you make me think too! And I like that.
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🙂 ⚘
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I believe my life would be freaky with an expiration date on it, but maybe I could make a deal with…🤔
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I have often wondered if I would do things differently if I actually knew.
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🎃super spooky post l’m still thinking…🤔
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haha! That’s the best.
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I have decided that maybe yes…maybe no:-) Ha!
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Same!! lol
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This is very clever!
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Thanks Braeden! 💕 it was a fun write.
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Welcome
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