What nobody dares to do
The armatures of varying length connected end to end
At hundred-degree angles
A change of direction every fourth vertex
So that by the time you get to the end of it
And there is no end
You’re sick of the entire proceeding
A flight of birds passes before the sunset
And for a moment you imagine some detachment possible
Before falling back into habitual simpering
Worse the new product
Delivered to your very doorstep
Withholds the gratification
That you’ve always doubted anyway
But it does vouchsafe the salutary disappointment
That typically accompanies acquisition or attainment
The storm has deposited the customary residue
Vegetable matter and petroleum distillates
Paper plastic and glass
In the streets and in the gutters
The sewage drain at the corner issuing the usual complaints
The constellations emitting the usual tacit disregard
What do you want and why do you want it
And are you in fact acknowledging the disparity
Of reasons and motives
You did not create the world of mandates and purchases
Of the relentless pressure for affirmation
Any more than you created yourself
So why torment yourself with the debate
Over whether to grumble