The original version of this poem appeared in Banango Street

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Graveyard Shift 

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We don’t know. The enormity
of a moment furrowing cracks
into borrowed vertebrae. Snake
like. As if moving in shadows
absorbs the solidarity of grieving. In
suspension of loving incompleteness.
Our lives, touched. Electronically,
years ago. Aren’t you tired of the
graveyard shift? Time is eating
and we’ve pretended so well that
we’re really well. So, did you win?
There is no proving that when you
look up into the stars that it is in
parallel to children that pin hopes
to stuffed animals. Still. You perch.
Porno magazines at the dentist,
lingering honesty. A terrible joke.