by Dale Goodson
no nail
no wood
so why the pounding
I’m not made of metal
neither are you
not oak
not stone
but look at the damage
as if we were
instead of a box
or a fence
or a chair
we swing the things at each other
and it’s not just us
strangers’ll do it too
take a brute mallet
and let fly
everyone knows we don’t hold up well –
about like paper
but still
hammers, clubs
harpoons
anything to deliver a blow
LESS FORCE MORE CARE
what about effort in that direction
should be something there for everybody
something that
could start in the kitchen over tea
or out in the hallway
where nothing ever happens
something gentle
something molecular
like
the fine ether that surrounds
this planet of neighbors
could be we do that-
make that effort
then start again
hands free
Dale Goodson is a writer from Seattle currently living in New York City.
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