If I told you that things
are impermanent
would that make things any better
If I told you that is that things
are always and only
false impressions
given to exaggeration
would that make the road seem less stern
If I told you in a manner of speaking that things
are held only for the briefest instance
a flickering legerdemain
as when the rabbit suddenly appears
conjuring a magician
would you hold the cavern of your eye closed longer
If I told you as all the great storytellers do
that once upon a time in the beginning
is where our story begins
when things meet their purpose
in the substance of their unknowing
would you take it as a given
that your mind is only in your head
If I told you the blackbird escaped its noticing
and things begin to break down
in the process of their observation
would thirteen be enough to count to infinity
would the banana peel still be slippery
would caution be thrown to the solid wall
and ricochet back in our faces
would there be time left for counting
If I told you in no uncertain terms
there is a harbor in the distance
to which you may take refuge
but if you agree to step on the boat
you must never return
to the self who carried you on the boat in the first place
and there is no space to keep your things
would you have enough change to make the trip
If I told you it is unlikely
that winter will ever end
not without taking all our things
and burying them indiscriminately
all over the planet only to be discovered
with the next thaw
would you still invest in a snow blower
If I told you that this is perfection
no this is perfection here
no here this is perfection
no perfection this is here
a slightly more embodied thing
would you awake rubbing your eyes in astonishment
If I told you somehow you have
escaped the realm of transcendence
and are now completely thing
and must rise in the morning like any other singularity
would the cereal still be served with spoons
If I told you that things happen
these things happen
it is the way things work
would that be any consolation
Joshua Keiter 