a vacancy sign glows
behind a neon ear drum
the levers and pulleys operate
a golden zero sum
a tensile steel thread holds
credentials and accomplishments
past life portfolios passed over
became dense collections

a cellophane dream therein
glimpsing computer blue
shoehorning hard boots
when text to speech
clears the cache and queue
screens dim
then moving parts sleepwalk in twos

to operate this system
the memory must be clear
searching for a drive
but the keyword’s right here

a play on words is in intermission for months
and the resuscitation restarts and jumps
with copper fronts
the flux runs down the routing map
the solder gun
allays the gaps in alloy
parleys a meteorite to a synth
opens a monophonic voice

analog slippage leaking from a sluice
to GDP removed from newness
and as one becomes the future antecedent
how does the dialogue the resume then,
between two lips or
copy-pasted and glue-fed?

followed to the distance
this through line becomes freer
and as the theory holds
the gravity will be teetered

if what is called chaos
is an agent of change
for how long does it subcontract
if freelance, might one
clash it with one’s own spear
before a tournament ground
shifty, between the quick
and those interred

and on its lunch break
what says it of birdsong
and the moment we call calm

how these metaphors and anaphora
chip tunes from marble
and stone fonts

to connect this rhythm
intent belief must douse fear
yearning in the rhyme
so the feeling is right here