Joshua Keiter

The kids in costume 
appeared at the door and asked 
how much they could take 

some were surprised when 
we said all you can carry
they took two at most

knowing that others 
some of whom they had not seen 
are sure to follow

All these lost minutes 
accumulate forever 
others written down 

some just forgotten 
still more others generate 
their own momentum 

how long has it been 
since the seasons felt so young 
you couldn’t count them 

or lost track of how 
they blend into each other 
the world was ending 

one day at a time 
not all at once in a rush 
because we forgot

what was worth remembering

Keep thinking about 
that scene in Hitchhiker’s Guide 
where Ford and Arthur 

arrive on new Earth
to figure out an answer
while Golgafrinchans 

call for more meetings 
make the leaf legal tender 
causing inflation 

setting fire to the forests

Currently a fan
of the backyard roses who 
decided to bloom 

in such a crazy windstorm

Steady sound of rain 
occasional thunder crash 
feeling emptiness 

from being outside
avoiding people in cars 
good night for pizza