I cannot change them,
I am told by you people
who apply the rule of leopards

Soon I will become an elephant.
My ears will grow and begin to droop.
They will turn grey and floppy.

Within oral slum,
Mr. Illusion-Thaw
wilts humor-nail.

All the pretty things you do
the way you lean outward
against the window of the train everyday

At the failing of summer
just when autumn is breaking
the pavement with its strong back,

“If we have a turtle we’ll name him Michael,
or Michelle if it’s a she,” she says.
This is one of those moments from an old movie

Their sorrow is something like
buyer’s remorse. They chose 

This morning there was another one
Looking used but not worn out
Beside the road
What do they mean

Smooth muscles tic. Honeyed sunlight
spreads thickly on stadium grass. 
Drinkers of grace shout throats dry, 

You are the secret conscience of the age.
Your power is confirmed
in the milkman's punctuality.