In the Western World

Valid up to Sunday, I just have to make it all the way to Friday,

then my chosen land of a real life can ramble out the gate,

an early census reveals a dire choice between a magic show

and a murder mystery in the garden bed of the weekend.

Instead, I’ll become a power in the local social order, cutting away

the blue ribbons holding me back, and with fanfare,

Achievements unlocked during the week so far: unlimited

coffee and tea, a federal theater project full of copier drama,

I got to hear from more city council candidates

just happening to make a call on corporate’s good graces,

and the password to get into the building at night is mine too—

maybe I’m turning into a manager’s fan favorite.

But not enough to get cubicled. Plots for the free time?

I can make do with getting dragged out to see the workshops

going on around me—if I get to claw for attention

by writing about other bodies all across my own; or I might

find silence with others watching irreverent comedies

if no one wants to join me for a second coming of a hump day.