Pay close attention—and
what looks at first
like youthful exuberance
is later unmasked
as a protracted stubborn
teenage phase
what seems like contentment
is only contempt
for the hard labor of expectation
often when we wish we were
somebody else, we will say so
only in the third person
or else
unconsciously sub-in
the word someplace instead
whenever I can't make
a feeling work, for instance
I'm quick
to punch it up with
rhymes, aphorisms, clever
turns of phrase
and those I can't be with
because they need love
kindness, displays of affection
I do my best to replace
with machines
which need simpler things
such as—service
maintenance
preservation.
