(T)(O)(O) (C) (L) (O) (S) (E)
(The) (knives) (in) (the) (drawer)
(are) (not) (only) (teeth) (up) (,)
(I) (notice) (they’re) (too) (close) (.)
(So) (I) (get) (my) (latex) (gloves) (,)
(mask) (,) (barbeque) (tongs) (and)
(begin) (the) (operation) (.) (As) (often)
(the) (case) (with) (surgery) (,) (once)
(you) (go) (in) (you) (see) (things)
(you) (hadn’t) (before) (.) (The) (spoons)
(are) (practically) (having) (sex) (.)
(Not) (my) (business) (normally) (—) (tea-s)
(inside) (table-s) (,) (and) (a) (ceramic)
(souvenir) (from) (Stockholm,) (peeping) (.)
(I) (proceed) (with) (the) (prophylactic)
(procedure) (.) (It’s) (a) (time) (to) (be)
(thorough) (.) (Though) (I) (know)
(what) (I) (can) (do) (in) (the) (house) (,)
(I) (can’t) (on) (the) (road) (—) (cars) (in)
(their) (lanes) (,) (but) (now) (too) (close) (,)
(same) (with) (park) (trees) (,) (and) (properties)
(whose) (square) (footage) (share) (slatted)
(fences,) (and) (the) (neighbor) (has) (“it”)
(according) (to) (local) (buzz) (.) (They) (can’t)
(just) (be) (slid) (over) (.) (She’s) (not) (a)
(neighbor) (,) (Lois) (hollers) (from) (the)
(other) (room) (,) (watching) (the) (news) (,)
(too) (close) (to) (the) (TV) (–) (residue)
(from) (times) (of) (smaller) (screens) (.)
(Closeness) (mutates) (,) (spreads) (and)
(shrinks) (everywhere) (.) (Not) (always)
(easy) (to) (see) (.) (She’s) (three) (streets)
(away) (,) (she) (says) (about) (the) (neighbor)
(while) (I) (apply) (the) (ruler) (test) (to) (the)
(books) (and) (wait) (for) (her) (to) (get) (up)
(from) (her) (chair) (.)
—from Poets Respond
May 16, 2020
__________
Michael Mark: “There’s lots of conflicting opinions about what one needs to do to protect themselves during the pandemic. This is what we do in our home. Okay, what I do. Follow at your own risk. But, please, not too closely.” (web)
