No Bird but an Invisible Thing

by Christian T.S. Crumlish

I reached under the lampshade to turn off the light.

In the real one I'm up late trying not to make any noise.

The story can start anywhere

So is foreknowledge then an essential aspect of the story?

Look.

The record is incomplete,

Still I spend the whole day

The characters in the story tell each other

            He is dead.

Trying not to think about money

The distance that seems necessary

And what kind of love is it

And if you were always in the now

She came out squinting

Finally it came to me what they saw.

            He is dead.

Let me tell you how she saved my hand:

            He is dead.

END