something brushes the lightbulb with wings
goddamn it open your eyes no one is home to save you
steady even if the room is sideways
even if going dark no one will be home for hours
look at the hall from this angle
in this light look at the dust on your knees
in this instance a willingness to complain
will be neither an advantage nor a disadvantage
it will disappear like the color of hair against the floor
like the color of skin underwater
like breathing in a dream
steady now remember in the store when the oranges cascaded down
the grocer laughed he was happy because finally there had been a rainstorm
and some of the fruit trees
would be saved
but nothing could make up for last year’s bees
the ones that weren’t there
all summer quiet