68000 Mornings

written by © Peter Howard; first published in Envoi 1996, then in collection Weighing The Air

She needs to know. Assemble language while
Grim morning hangover demands wait states.
She's dressed in black, offset by shocking pink,
Requesting by her eyes an interrupt,
Which I acknowledge. Supervisor mode
Requires immediate response. Blonde hair
Flags high priority: I shift bitwise
Towards illegal operands. Short skirt:
Post incremented indirect address.
I'm relatively jumpy: Phase error
Violate privilege, branch on over-
Flow, process exception. Change register:
Warm from her lover's bed, she's dressed to please
Herself. I'm Jealousy in Bronzino.