The words are discounted
shelved to the page. They’re grabbed
up by people because they’re
nailed safe. But, listen to them!
Each one is a wave 360 degrees
(think Munch’s Scream, if you will). They are intervals,
deranged, ink drying but not carcasses in a mass grave.
They affect you, though you miss their marks
as you pass, as you pass, amassing, amassing
more, more. Words are loud, discounted hurts-
you’re in a concert hall, you’re in the mall,
shelved is long, drawn, grabbed is violent
you think of your children small and coyotes
carrying them off.
They’re things. They can be reshaped. You
can choose some and remake what seems
already made. You don’t have to accustom
yourself. Nothing is true except you, which is the biggest lie there is.