desperation - Wesley Kuchta

desperation

the feet go
up and down
and the face
turns
side to side
and the hips go
in and out
and the
father abuses the kids
after
mass.

the penis slides
in and
the woman
tremors
and the man
stiffens
and the
baby is born into
welfare.

the textbooks
open and
the pencils
write down and the
degrees are
received and
the president
gallantly
gleams
and
the lecturers
talk about what they
think they
know
and the students follow and
ogle and the judge
recites the
oath and the
police
perform unpunished
murder.

the rings are
bought and
the shoes
are
shined
and the room is
filled
and the
veil
is lifted while
another is
put
on.

the head falls
back and the
eyelids are
shut and
the figure is
lowered
and we are
reminded.

the socket holds the
eye
and the skull protects the
brain
and the skin shelters the
bone
and we lacerate the butterfly
because
it cannot
sing.