What’s Wrong with Things
The imposed
structure
of music.
The missed
cue &
the waving
baton.
Confusion
pawned off
as freedom.
All the
votes that
never get
counted all
the things
that never
get voted on.
Quiz shows
talent scouts
& rehearsals.
The invention
of history.
Premature suicides
& the
notes they leave.
The forensic
lab & the
litmus test.
The false gods.
The
alphabetical
order.
Fame &
fortune.
The roll
call &
the thinning
ranks.
The chamber
pot &
the chambermaid
who empties it.
The misty-eyed
robot,
human at last.
The urge
to explain
yourself when
you’ve got
no explanations.
Aspiration & hope.
Those sleepless
nights when
truth rubs
up against you,
coarse & uncaring.
Nothing’s right
but the children,
& they
vanish like smoke.
