23 Today

-- I.

 Happy Birthday!

 

She is 23 years old today.

 She wakes with a start from her American dream.
The Holy Ghost in the corner is tugging on her toes.

– II.

The oven door shattered, and she cut her foot, those

Foyers she ran her childfingers down, stretched out: the paintings she bought when she was abroad
Were sobbing dust from their corners.

Inventory:
Iphone, guest room,

Tchotchke,

Silverware,

In-ground pool,

Going-out clothes and billiard room,

Dorito, Ikea, Target

Market Street, Wall, and Easy.

–

-- III.

She said earnestly,

               I love you, you know that right?

–

-- IV.

Get up!

SHE shouted,

It's Eleven O'clock!

And the child groans

Into their Daffy-Duck pillow case.

There's doing to do! HE said seriously in the dining room with pride,

Move Move Move.
And preened HIS waxy-'stache corners with a flick.

-- V.

Has anyone ever been quite so well equipped to choose what you will choose?

Are you conscious? Hey!

Hey!

Listen!

To whom will you entrust your detritus

When you are as dead as you expect to be?

What conveyer carries you heedlessly thence?

And Yo! Who built this ride? 
 

The boppy preteen, in the seat next to you,

With mushrooms for eyes, says

            You're totally safe.

But I don't believe him.

–

-- VI.

In what abject corner of the globe are you so satisfied not to dwell

That you happily shudder here?

Who will help you?

No one.

Who will call?

–

-- VII.
 

Beat beat beat beat fathers!

This dream is not mine

But you've made me dream it.

--VII.

Who dreams tonight

better than the evening news?

–

--VIII

Now is only preparation time.

Don't burden your consciousness with affect and trifles.

You are a serious person.

Work. Indeed,

Be employed.

Take not a single frivolous moment for observation;

Trust,

in short,

Your American gut.

– Ding.

When you are matured; indeed when you are done,

                [As a Lean Cuisine is done]

When you are ripened from toil and feebled soft;

Then!

          and not a moment sooner, 

Will you slink from task.

And, Oh! The Sitting Things you'll see!

The Sitting Things you'll have earned!

Sitting. Wheezing, sitting! Sunsets, you'll see, wheeze-hack, sitting! Hack-wheeze

Sunsets, sitting, sitting, sunsets, hack, hack-hack! 

And you'll let it all go then, 

At long last, you'll wake, ah! at last;

At long arduous last, you'll wake

from your Dream

–

--Then

Now

A simple dusty fifty years are passed.

Fret not

For your obedient, well-gendered,

2.5 children,

As ignorant as you are righteous,

Will seek no further solace than you have sought.

And the House!

           Oh! The house is paid!

What a brave brave life you have bought with hardship and grit!

Go peacefully now, valiant American, go!

Your time's been well spent; Rest assured now, friend,

 

Your Life has been well fought.

Now sleep, sleep!

    Others yet

are restless here.






-JV