Jan 29, 2012

No one pays enough attention


He's a grown man with an imaginary slice of cheese
held between his thumb and forefinger,
pinky held high in the air.

"The French savor the flavor of their food," he explains
to a student absently chewing,
laughing behind a book at Odysseus,
ears filled with beeswax,
sailing past the sirens tempting his crew to crash.

As imagination touches his outstretched tongue,
his grip on the table slips and his spine is soon against the floor.

No one ever pays enough attention.
That is why these things happen.

Outside, the alcohol the cotton ball is soaked in
hardly touches the woman's own hands,
no doubt thanks to the delicate nature
with which she dabs it against the child's wounds,
her tiniest finger held as far from it as possible.

This siren's song sure sounds a lot like an ambulance

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