THINGS WE MISSED

the best was always hidden,
incognito,
stealing in
amid the chaos,
mingling in the mayhem,
waiting
to be noticed

the greener grass lay
just beyond the constructs we held despite ourselves --
foundations built
of the rants and lamentations
of our tired parents,
overworked and weary,
desperate and jealous of our youth,
they never realized
that the stripes they laid
across our bony backs
would be the truth
we lugged into the world --

stupid
and lazy
and too goddamned sensitive

still, there were tokens
tucked amid the relics
maps and omens
buried in the attic,
things we missed
that might have saved us