1164

THE FLIES IN THE WINE

A telephone rings
On the tv, and the urge
To make something
Meaningful out of this
High-voiced
Planet is maybe
Too hip. Whatevs. We
Have a fakeness
To contend with, sawgrass
At CVS, and flies
Gnats really
Take down the rhetoric
From over the mantle,
Do I mean lintel?
I want my place
In line back, mailman
Can't you give me
The time I spent
Thinking books were safe
Don't answer that.
I was just rolling
The drop of water
Down the powdery plastic
In 1981 or so,
Well aware doing
What you believe
Is fine if you have
Worldly friends
Looking in on you
From time immemorial
Canyons of the laid-up.
A third party
Is a lot to try to get to
And I'm just happy
There are at least two.
I mean I'm not happy,
But I'm working on it.