O phalanx of clouds,

formed against your own shadow,

diorama of the maxim that armies,

like lovers, come in pairs—

promulgate now in bulleted wisps,

conformist’s dark room dripping in chemical

& negative & clothes-pinned evidence:

how easily lightning snaps

upon the aggregation

of too many soft, volatile bodies;

how a chaotic order from the galvanic brain

of one general can blind in a ballistic flash,

then disperse & darken

in the non-voltaic aftermath

of an unceasing war of a cosmos

ever set against itself.

                                                            Tell us,

o sibyls of violence,

how the primordial conditions for life

now reflect in our storm-sunken skirmishes.

Tell me we practice the gods’

most ancient method of conflict resolution.

 

Tell me what creatures will be born from this.

flashing your newest opinion

this is the day we left our phones at home

a gull shreds a sunbaked grouper

dj wizzywig is playing tonight only at what-the-truck-strip-club you won’t want to miss it

reggaetaon clatters from a cheap speaker

cabana banana sunscreen smells great tastes greater

some boys are grinning someone’s butt is eating her bikini jiggle jiggle

testicular-cancer-wireless keeps you connected even on the day you left your phone at home

sand fleas nip at your toes scritch scratch

raspberry echo vodka please drink and drive responsibly

a gull shreds a sunbaked sandwich wrapper

this is the day we left our phones at home

Our baby kicks,

stretches each day

into us.

Vomiting tomato juice,

crying at the beach,

everything you do

now is miraculous.

You multiply our love

between fistfuls of steak

& popcorn.

You give your whole

body to do this.

Who could be more beautiful?