atop the gray
cornices at dawn,
the silhouettes
of crows
argue with conviction
the politics
of lonesome
as a trait
or an affliction.
*
For my purposes,
down
at the simulation's
street view
(not to mention
yours
one level lower
as a reader),
it doesn't matter
if this image
is truth
or fiction.
*
Incepted in
the latest version—
a stealth software update,
a poetic snatch
of code inserted—
you are programmed
to imagine
that things
could be worse:
these scavenger birds
could yet be
upgraded—
persuaded
to peck stars
from the skies
of your thoughts
like they were the all-
seeing eyes
of the universe.