barb & ken had set up behind
a blue dumpster next to stick tight
creek the dumpster belonged to the dry cleaner

barb had started crafting
and the pins needles obviously
but also the many unnamed
gizmos plastic and florid
for covering buttons or
holding a collar these became
newly useful and she’d take that terrifying
dry cleaning plastic shred it twist it
weave it then make a sexy little dress
trade it to opossum for ketchup packets
it was an angle that for a little while worked
but the proprietor of the place
sold out and the new owner shot opossum
sprayed everything with roundup
stomped through the dead weeds
picked up barb’s little assembly line
as if it were just another discard to
haul to the ocean but that is where opossum
had handed barb her necklace and
said give this to danny
people turn their heads when they murder
as if the dying are rude
barb was feeling sick of this shit
on a whole other level
scrounging was a drag
being nine inches tall was a drag
but watching your friend die for
the neatness of a dumpster
is this a joke she had to ask
this isn’t really life is it

a voice said this is
the only life
barb looked around
stood up walked saying hello
it said hello never sounding
closer nor farther
are you an earworm said barb

barb
said the voice
there is no such thing as spirituality