Monday, August 9, 2021

THE SHAPE OF THINGS

Unlike Shakespeare's art, 
in life, it was you 
who played the part 

of your own three
weird sister cheerleaders:

from the start, 
you'd seen
how this ends, 

but still egged 
yourself on—as if 

even a ruin 
could be intelligently 
designed.

*

In order to see the future, 
we dress it up 
as the past. 

In an attempt 
to hide the past, 

we stow it safely  
in the future. 

But if time 
is a smooth line 
and not discrete units, 

how do we extenuate 
the blasphemy 

of our
breathing?

*

After the shape 
of things is disclosed,

exposing their seams
is easy.

We remain suspicious 
of everything we can't see 

and afraid 
of the common coldness

of plenty
of the things we can. 

We propose 
a new astrology

to give purpose 
to the stars 

after failing to divine any 
offhand.