Theory of Violence
by Cydni Thompson
Tell you what, melancholy.
Eat lunch. Stop spitting.
The situation outside
demands your hardiest
pants. Concrete is hazardous.
Grannies walk to work without moving.
I sipped lemonade during
the active shooter threat at
Roosevelt Field Mall™. I was very cool
about my fear. The day
you don't die, someone
else will. How's that
for your fair weather prediction?
Truth is, you only get free
espresso if you buy a Michael Kors
clutch at Macy's. And
on your phone, a dove
teaches better ways to sing.
Open your mouth wider.
Stop thinking about the show.
When it ends, critics will say
your pensive sadness was sexy.
Then they'll finish dinner. Be
grateful. There are kids out there,
surviving
on the starch of a word.
Dear Ms. Thompson
Theory of Violence is the best contemporary poem Ive read, maybe at all.
I'm so glad I found it!
Dahlia D'Lugoff