I wanted to waste the day
not making lists
refusing to watch
the final episode
of democracy on a screen
attached to a mysterious
silver box issued
by an institution
whose proboscis I willingly
inserted into my soul
so I can produce these
endless translucent complaints
O whoever you are
out there laughing
on the street I will
give you my name
which has in these long
hours grown less
precious than a shadow
take it and go
forth without my confusion
I do not know
which candidates
won’t dress us
in uniforms
though it is true it would
be one fewer decision
no more staring
into the endless
darkness of the closet
with its bulb that burned out
a thousand years ago
where did I put my headlamp
I last saw it in a drawer
poured in the final
frantic moments into
a box no one labeled
stuff that will be utterly
vital only once
we moved onto
this hill and I no
longer can find
anything not useful
I like to stare
in the mirror
and see an explorer
who convinced the king
of maps to let him
sail off the edge
leaving me here
to doze on the couch
until the bus summons
me with its hiss
I have at last been called
I finally feel ready
to ignore all the evidence
I put on my robes
powder my wig
step into my long
pointed shoes and go
holding my unforgiving
gavel into the innocent world