We all know nothing lasts.
The shoreline’s pulled under, out to sea.
Even this sentence will change by the time the period
comes around. I’d like to give you one thing to keep,
a sea shell or a t-shirt or a box of cracker jacks
though I’m not sure what good it’ll do. The old pick up
slipped through my hands, the one with the leaky roof
and mushrooms in the bed. What’s the point of a hope chest
anyway? The last time I visited Ohio creepers covered the trees,
killing off the very thing they need the most.
Some of us have an inkling that none of this is real.
If you sit still long enough you’ll notice a portal
in the back of your throat. Others get all jumpy horse.
Oh Jesus, during the worst of it my heart came unhinged.
Listen, every time you look in a mirror,
no matter what kind of smirk or wink, you have to admit
to a shard of brilliance coming out from between the arms
with a smiley face sneaking up from who knows where.
What was up with us kids anyway thinking that catching fire flies
in jars would save them? Maybe you can actually taste words,
the way under water, a muffled voice says, This is my life unleashed.