Stumpy masses
of twitching atoms
all look alike
from the microscopic stew,
but from up here
they look like trees
with opinions about the audacity
of their neighbors’ garments
or dance routines
spilling into the street
during witching hour
every third Tuesday–satisfied?
It’s all a pack of rumors,
disconnected from the shallow
root systems and designed
to rot away after a few years,
transient, lost by nature.
The morning,
thick with steam,
builds stillness
into bent limbs,
willing them
to stick around
for another few hours,
at least.
Trees stick up
the sky,
pulling ransom
sun rays
to their roots
and
laughing hollow
in their knot holes.
An ant attempting
to successfully cross
a busy city street
is like
a human trying
to maneuver its way
across Disneyland
without getting stopped
for impromptu photoshoots
with trademark characters.
The ant only has to worry
about death by squishing.
The fate of the human
in Disneyland
is much, much worse.
Watch those lines.
Are they moving?
No?
Good.
I don’t want you
hallucinating
just yet.
Please do tell me
if you see the lines
blur or change orientation–
I’m sincerely interested
in charting perceptual fluctuations.
Hey, don’t interrupt me
while I’m talking!
I don’t care if some
orange elephant’s
coming after you,
I told you to look
at the lines,
dammit.
That dreaded stairway of mine… I don’t quite understand why folks are afraid to come up to my door, even in broad daylight. I suppose the spikes and schnauzers at the bottom can be a little intimidating if you’re not in the mood for obstacles, but it’s smooth sailing the rest of the way up–at least until you come across the live gargoyles.
But come on, nobody [who didn’t deserve it] has ever been attacked by these peaceful creatures. They prefer to leave well enough alone and read a good book most of the time. They’re not going to go out of their way to cause mischief, that’s what imps are for.
And you don’t have to worry about running into imps unless I invite you inside, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. I only invite people with strong purple auras to join me inside my dwelling. I have, in the past, made exceptions for blue auras, since they still contain the rudimentary elements I prize highly in individuals.
It’s as though we stopped thinking
about what people might do and began
reacting appropriately to the actions
they actually carry out as an attempt
to build up their images in our eyes.
And I know what you’re thinking:
“You can’t possibly know that for a fact.”
Well, you caught me.
Good work, inspector.
However, there’s one thing you failed
to consider. I haven’t been proven wrong
on a hunch of mine [not a single time]
since 1983, and I don’t think you’ve got
the guts to dispute me on my moral high horse.
I ride in on my mighty steed and wage
war on negativity until I’m blue
in the face and meaner than a pirate
two days after shore leave’s over.
WHARVED 