Dogmatics Anonymous
Location
Resolutely, I have indoctrinated myself
Into a world of know, where
Things that were unexplainable have been
Inarticulately explained—
And we didn’t even need a graph to do it.
We don’t need any statistics
And we don’t need any lines on boxes
Printed to exemplify the human condition,
Somehow,
And I don’t even need a magnifying glass to read the fine print.
It doesn’t come with a plastic wrapper filled with screws
And intricately folded paper with second-language English
Scrawled in confused typewrite with computer-aided
Pictures of something that surely wasn’t on
The front of the cardboard-plastic box.
I don’t need a Phillip screw driver or a pack of double A’s.
I don’t need scissors or hot pink duct tape.
I don’t even need a pocket knife.
All I’ve got is what I need—
Twenty-five minutes, half a sandwich, a fourth of a pack of smokes and
Cashier eight’s attention.