The towers fall. A baby wakes,
but she isn’t a baby. She’s just small,
and no longer occupies your insides.
Meanwhile, there’s a line around the block
For the store with the glowing apple.
Or is it a hotel? It’s not a call to arms.
We’re trying to reduce the damage.
In the article about integration, the white
child is named Prairie. She is the only one
in focus. Some people are light, your daughter
says, and some are dark. You are spotted.
Meanwhile, the little city of your childhood
is aflame. The elementary school is accepting
small animals. There are men putting
rubber fingers in your mouth and prying
it open with tools. They ask you questions
as if to taunt your speechlessness. This, too,
you will endure. Turn off the glow of the screen.
Nobody owns anybody. You’ve reached
your quota for aphorisms. Lay down
each vertebrae and let the steam roll
up from beneath the earth and take you
down to the dream of the gate, the house
of stones with little lanterns and a secret
yard. This house is your house. It cannot
be foreclosed. Close your mouth and take
out the dirty money. Give it away freely.
All the while, the river dances by
too fast for any real reflection.
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