From Lyrical Puzzles
I remember my youth,
devouring polymers
and processed sugar,
learning that there are people
who suffer in different ways
than you do
and that’s okay
no food is safe to eat anymore
my grandparents said
and I tended their Zen garden
with a knife and fork.
the sky was filling with pepperclouds
I put on a coat.
I grew used to everything
I grew up.
I fell in love because it was something
I was told I could do.
I didn’t have to turn to face the sky.
ambient dusk struck the land
I was trying to be artful,
I was trying to write it all out
in a tiny garden
I crushed the pepper sand
Matt Maday 