{"id":7527,"date":"2023-02-06T07:00:06","date_gmt":"2023-02-06T07:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/floridareview.cah.ucf.edu\/?post_type=article&p=7527"},"modified":"2023-02-06T07:00:06","modified_gmt":"2023-02-06T07:00:06","slug":"two-poems-12","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/floridareview\/article\/two-poems-12\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Poems"},"content":{"rendered":"

Witness Statement<\/h3>\n

And, behold, in the year
\nof unencumbered plague<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

those who trafficked in wickedness
\ndid so on palatial golf courses.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

An orphan cried for succor
\nand received spit.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Nothing of this was new
\nor profound, only more naked.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And, lo, I fed my son a breakfast
\nbar on a dying planet.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And on a dying planet
\nthe wicked watered<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

my son\u2019s playground with poisons.
\nThey hallowed his oceans with lead.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tell me what should I have done
\nbut bathe bread in peanut butter<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

mince Flintstones in a cup of cola.
\nAnd, lo, the wicked thought only<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

of my boy as a horsetail dreams
\nof flies. His chest rose and fell<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

as we both tacked the garbage
\ntruck rumbling its track.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In this was no sin.
\nIn this was only another<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

form of hunger: the truckness
\nof the truck begetting wonder<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

begetting want. Oh<\/em>, felt my boy
\nwith every rattling atom.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And the wicked kenneled
\na brown boy so like my son.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I said, I am sickened.
\nI said, I will maim you<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

with my claws before you
\ntake their boy, my boy whose laugh<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

turns this truck ripe with refuse
\nto some radiant blessing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Anubis at the DMV<\/h3>\n

Let me be blunt:<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 fate is no whim.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is the voice of<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 a thousand bureaucrats intoning<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 now serving 554<\/em>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If diligence is a knife<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 you are our bread.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

if service is a repeating decimal<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 a herd of digits flashed to life<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 you\u2019re dead last.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ultimo.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The sarcophagal cero<\/em>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Each attendant is a monolith<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 in a desert you wander<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 an hour, a lifetime.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Who can know?<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The intervals grow<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 immeasurable.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Think of a cat<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 toying mindlessly with a string<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 an entire day<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 bored<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 somnambular.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Past the grave<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 vice or virtue is simply<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 the dust we brush off.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Let it accumulate.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Let the carpet fiber<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 crack beneath your feet<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Now you want to know<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 how much longer<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 a day, a year, a league.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Like all dictators<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I simply push the beads<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 across, then back.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Who am I<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 to enumerate<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 your wait time?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Who to tell you<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 how to spend your death?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If diligence is a knife \/ you are our bread.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7565,"template":"","categories":[9,49,119],"tags":[889,1888,201],"class_list":["post-7527","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aquifer","category-literary-features","category-poetry","tag-aquifer","tag-kyle-mccord","tag-poetry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTwo Poems - The Florida Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/floridareview\/article\/two-poems-12\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Two Poems - The Florida Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If diligence is a knife \/ you are our bread.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/floridareview\/article\/two-poems-12\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Florida Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/floridareview\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2023\/02\/McCord-headshot.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"954\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"694\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cah.ucf.edu\\\/floridareview\\\/article\\\/two-poems-12\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cah.ucf.edu\\\/floridareview\\\/article\\\/two-poems-12\\\/\",\"name\":\"Two Poems - 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