3

World,

macaroni and glue

or fibrous web of cells—

I test the edge of sincerity

the clarity of words

on a page ideology prepared—

can we go on like this?

I like you

and the sun comes up

one side of you

before sinking down the other

and we dance in small streams

just beyond our suburbs

or cast small stones

at the shores of you—

is this alright?

Do you see what we’re doing

for money and out of fear?

Come close to the place

where we made you up, OK?

And then push us through

to the other side of the page—

we’re ready to stand with you

and against money and power

and all this pretending

the gluing of shapes onto

surfaces of our kindergarten lives

though the kids are alright

and the world’s still

sometimes a defensible idea