Christopher Citro
Today I replaced the plastic sugar bowl with
a glass peanut butter jar so we don't get killed
by our sugar bowl. I can honestly say
my 18-year-old self could not have predicted this.
Air above the earth is measured in miles,
which is reassuring. Hermit crabs needing
larger shells gather in lines of decreasing sizes,
so when a new empty comes along each
hands their used down to the next smallest.
They hold on to one another while they wait.
The water is full of animals holding on to
one another. And when Picasso's sculptures
touch the earth at more than one point,
each footing conveys a specific weight and
tension, which means some like ballerinas,
some flatfooted, some the foundations of
tall buildings, some like a winter gnat resting
lighter than paper on paper or even hovering.
The reason authorities warn us when they're
going to test the emergency siren is because
some of us will spill coffee on ourselves
if we hear a wailing we're not expecting,
if the neighbors look at us in our window
the moment we happen to be looking out.