It’s the way everything returns
to normal. It’s the time
I spend like Friday’s pay.
I make plans again, while
the maples spread their pollen
in the yard. Then the doctor
calls for another test, and I
feel the night grow larger.
I think only of the lab—cells
divided on thin, clear glass.
Each flaw magnified
the way morning light glares
your age, dust on the nightstand,
loose thread in the area rug.
Every imperfection
in the arrangement
you’ve made with yourself
suddenly flooding your eyes.
to normal. It’s the time
I spend like Friday’s pay.
I make plans again, while
the maples spread their pollen
in the yard. Then the doctor
calls for another test, and I
feel the night grow larger.
I think only of the lab—cells
divided on thin, clear glass.
Each flaw magnified
the way morning light glares
your age, dust on the nightstand,
loose thread in the area rug.
Every imperfection
in the arrangement
you’ve made with yourself
suddenly flooding your eyes.
