“Dammit, matter just doesn’t last…” ~ Amy Gerstler
So much talk to learn, so much
cultivation—
Every few months we thin
the coffers in our temples.
It isn’t considered rebellious
to give up the idols
we slicked and thickened with lard
through the year: for the guide said,
They have served their purpose.
They have given of their purchased
good. We are told to try
to act like too much
doesn’t matter. After all,
there is no longer need to collect
water from a cactus leaf, no need
to crisp the wings of insects
for food. But when I regard the wires
of their copper-like remnants, I feel
I have let them down; I miss
the quiet chirring;
and beneath the trees at evening,
the small lights they once let flicker.