Adulting

 
His eyes skitter across the room
Like scuttling beetles
Searching for a crack to seep in to
Our questions turn to paupers bowls
uplifted and hungry

And again the veil rises
Sunshine and butterflies
All thoughts of hunger forgotten
What right do we have
He asks
And again we look to our almost empty hat
Counting pennies
Add them up, your better at math
How many rights does that make?

We paid a bill, is that a smile?
The dishes are done, does that unbend our backs?
Or is it always this veneer?

Will we always test our step
A moment of comfort away from falling through the ice
Never knowing which creature from the deep is underneath, jaws yawning open
Like a mother tucking you into bed
Nice and tight
Blanket edged with razors

Hello
He says
In a voice like insect eggs
in freshly chopped wood
running in seams
Like natures cruel joke
Mimicking something precious

at first glance you'd never know
this proud tree
so solid in its foundations
Could birth so many horrors
Each one meaningless
But if you have the strength
Split the log and see

See how he smiles
A net of iron

Cast

Hello

It settles around feet
Held tight with expectation
Now do the math
How many minutes more
Of held breath
And heavy pauses
Until the weight of reality sinks in

How long will the trial run
How many bribed witnesses
How many seams of rot
Until we learn

There isnt evidence enough
And there isnt room for reason
The dice are weighted
the paper is soaked
Our words have run
The judge the one who chased them

When will we learn?
we were made for this
seeds planted in fertile land
we were never meant to stand

The axe was all there was for us
He hid it behind hello