I.
Two days after a mass shooting,
in a distant American city,
I go to our local mall to prove that I am brave,
A police officer guards his way among tables
alert for alarms. He ignores me.
I am disappointed with relief.
I am not suspected of being dangerous.
II.
A woman orders a vanilla shake.
Liquid protein filled to overflowing
the denim skin of her jeans.
My imagination,
bored with nothing to do,
wanders off in search of work.
III.
A story shambles among eaters
dragging a weary damp rag
over surfaces of consumption.
Missed spillage catches his eye.
He turns back to wipe the spot again.
I want to hear the story of his turn.
IV.
The food court is crowded with available seats.
All diners are accompanied by cellular phones.
Unseen companions converse with silicon lips.
A woman holds the electrified world
in the circuit board of her left hand.
with her right hand she holds a wrap.
.A distant friend is in her ear.