Edified

A Poem

Releasing erudition like a smokestack coming to rest on emulsified air trying to restore dead religion words that keep crumbling in front of you The narcissism of the day a plague on questioning houses tried to demonstrate some solidarity but there was no one at the protest Even the masks don’t keep you quiet kept from the sorrow of people you love The losers go on counting the winnings in abstract dollar amounts concealing the fatal crack in the ceiling the dropping of texture around your crib Conceding nothing but aftermath this collision riles up the reasons buried in catastrophic arguments A relief in the pitcher of beer should stand stark on the horizon while wine goes on collecting Some fetishes keep you still keep you knocking on strange doors while you look for whatever it was you kept underneath the bed Pulling out the agony for edification you’ve highlighted only the pain and I worry that I won’t be understanding that, either

J.D. Harms 2020