old carpet
my first mistake was thinking life was all / blue sky with a few clouds in it / easy bright light, only dimmed momentarily by cotton clouds / nothing oppressive but it is not sky at all / it’s a carpet with a few m&ms / and a paperclip hidden amongst the yarn it’s a dirty worn thing that you almost / wanna rip to shreds but a few good memories of playing tag in the basement / keep you from tearing it end from end there’s not enough money right now anyway / to rip it all up and try again / the frayed corners are ugly but familiar / and each day is consumed by the urge to tear it up / and instead, vacuuming
if you stand back a few feet / the specks of dirt that the vacuum never seemed to inhale / make the whole white rug look like an inverted night sky / tiny black stars on an off-white infinity