ON DIGNITY

1/

Oh Dignity, you little bitch,

you make us work so hard, leaping

through your burning hoops

only to make fools of us when we’re proud.

You make us slip on shiny banana skins,

yielding up our western façades

to the disinterested clouds.

2/

I was the bird that flew into the window

with a crack and a smear, leaving a husk of fluff.

I was the bird that flew into the window

and kept on flying through that reflected sky.

You’ll see me darting behind you in mirrors

like a fleeting blot on your vision.

You’ll hold me, still warm, getting colder

in the palm of your hand.