I watch movies now
and I’m like, what the hell
are you doing? They’re right
beside each other plotting the heist.
They’re in malls and markets and beaches
and bars. In each other’s houses,
borrowing literal sugar.
Bumping into one another because they’re in love,
or one of them is a thief.
They’re in a stadium and a bomb’s about to blow.
A packed train and a bomb’s about to blow.
A sold-out plane, and yes, somewhere,
a bomb.
Everyone’s having so much fun making out
on quixotic dates and eating wacky family dinners
and grabbing each other’s shoulders to celebrate
the championship finally being theirs.
And so many fistfights. Is this how
we settled disputes before?
I can’t remember ever seeing anyone
break a pool cue over someone’s back.
What a blessing – to even have the chance
to be cruel. I can only kill my plants now.
God, I miss gamblers.
Arsonists, thieves, groups of teens
egging lovely Halloween homes.
Even priests, almost. That sweetness
of putting your desires above
your neighbour’s. The reckless impotence
of fighting to demonstrate,
against all evidence, we’re important.
Imagine being so empowered as to be
this cavalier. And all those people
forced to watch. Tonight
I made tikka massala and drank wine,
but can’t really be sure.
If everything’s a story,
nothing happened if no one tells it.