5
let your guard down (my girl, my girl)
one day you’ll be able to understand
the circuitry of a secret
the fallible pauses of conspirators
the magic of realization to be found
at the beginning of a kiss
and the sharp end of an ellipsis point
that penetrates with the ease
of a greased blade
of con men versed in empathy for the damned
and drowning
asphyxiated by the omitted meat
the heart of the problem
the insidious beating of need versus want
but until then
you’ll follow a rumor farther than logic
graph a theory off the page
and conduct experiments on a whim
you’ll play apologies in reverse
in search of evil
finding only the crackling static of sincerity
no matter how many coals you tread
you’ll always want the fire
it will linger like darkness in Lead Belly’s arbor
even as it begins to fade
even as it collapses into itself
and you’re left to sift through the rubble
you’ll lay that heat, that passionate skepticism
and maiming distrust out in front of you
like an empty guitar case
praying to be acknowledged
begging for sustenance
wondering, why not?
Zachari James Popour is just like you, him, her, them; both the best and worst person in the world.
