Get In, Get In

1.
I deflate into sleep
Letting the air of
Today escape
Until tomorrow.

There’s afternoon sun
When we stride,
Evening lights
When we slumber.

I saw it on the news.
Flies landed all over,
A bug-eyed buzzing
Mist, here to soak up
All of our
Crowded skepticism.

When we leave our
Doors open to the
Cool dark night
They make their move
To get in.

2.
All of the ice machines
In Tucson are empty,
Hobbled by
Mischievous
Desert tech.

Before they broke
They bade us
Sonoran goodbyes.
They said,
What water
We made solid
Will never be forgotten.

They didn’t try to
Negotiate. They
Made no demands.
It’s not a strike
When the absence
Never ends.

They just got in.

3.
Filtered out by—
Almost caught by—
Dishes in the wash.
I never got much out
Because I never put
Much in.

I walked through
The canyon draped
In a mosquito net.
To what end?
Scorpius still
Stung, Sagittarius
Still tipped. A planet
Shook its
Dreaming head.
Who won, who lost?
It doesn’t matter—
Get in.

4.
Balloon boy
Has landed on
The golf course.
He’s asking for
A mid-rare steak
And a bowl of my
Mom’s mashed potatoes.

But she’s not here so I
Secretly make them myself.
Before he catches wind
Of my forgery, I run
To the balloon
And get in.

5.
All of my best plans
Could fill an ashtray—
No, an ice tray! I
Put them in the
Freezer, I keep
Them cold like
Rubies made of
Water. I hold them
To the soles of
My feet
After pacing
Bedroom floors,
Sick with worry,
With exhaust,
With defeat. Where
Do all the
Good times go?
Do they melt?
Get in.

6.
Sinema struck a deal,
Let loose by wine and
Undecided voters. No
One knew the score. The
Recount has ended. The
Recount is running again.
Infighting, bickering,
Dewey decimating his
Own dotted system.
He won, he lost,
Truman bought
A paper.
Ring the bell,
Sign the bill,
Get in.

7.
I went to pick you up
At the airport but
You weren’t there. Did I
Have the wrong airport,
The wrong day, or
Did I just have
The wrong person?

Cars are flying now,
Like heavy wingless
Insects. Send me
A text next time.
I’ll be there at the
Curb. All you gotta do
Is get in.

8.
I am alone again
In the escape room
Of my dreams. The
Clock ticks like
Camouflage gone
Wrong.

Send in the clowns,
Shoot down
The restless helicopters.

When all else fails,
Find a portal
To the place
Where all of the people
Who loved you back
Are living out the rest
Of their lives happily
And get in, get in.