we are trying to figure out
the best way
to get a 4000 pound sample of an airport escalator
the feet of which have cracked through
the particle board floor of its crate
into the booth
without fucking up the carpet
 
everything comes down to the one
getting it done
and only a few know his name
 
after the initial chaos fatigue
anxiety cruelty and deadlines disappear
vacuums purr over the aisle carpet
polyvinyl chloride off-gasses
into air-conditioned air

the day’s work comes together and the trade show
opens on time
 
exhibitors hobnob—plastic glasses of wine
in the Food Court
after going back to the hotel
to change out of their work clothes
people often on the road
exchange stories for common ground
such as the escalator incident
quasi-comic ordeals from the set up
 
the hobnobbing continues in the bar of the Hilton
the TV news flickers
thousands of refugees
pushed into a desert without enough drinking water
red clay rubbed on skin for protection
shaded only by a shaky grid of shadows
under makeshift huts of sticks
images quickly reset
when the bartender picks up the remote
switches to the ballgame
children who looked out of eyes deep as lakes
replaced by sunscreen ads with beach scenes 
 
somewhere in a highrise of turquoise glass
seen by people driving to work everyday
men meet to address world issues
men who have spent their lives in meetings
 
deserts expand meanwhile
thousands of lakes in the desert
the eyes of children
robbed of childhood
 
the lake I swim through after work
every evening I can
after the lifeguards have gone home
 
to go beyond the ropes
where evening air touches water
an echo chamber that carries
the timbre of human voices across the surface
 
whispering from the far shore
louder than you’d expect then softer
lovers suddenly cautious in the amplifying dark
weighing words against rustling reeds
 
a swimmer in a lake has no name
pausing to rest he treads water and listens
the lovers will never raise their voices
a redwing on a cattail whistles
everything riding on a song

                                             June 6, 2025