Wicker Tables

Wicker Tables
by Noah Gordon
one day,
there won’t be a reckoning.
not even a peep of dismay
will force open the skies,
and there won’t be a lesson
to be learned.
henceforth,
i will only say true words.
henceforth,
etc.
‘don’t speak ill of the dead.’
right.
while we’re at it,
let’s not watch the forgetful
branches flop on the soil,
let’s not listen for the trains
scuttling through the
flipped back night.
on and through all of it,
the wicker tables,
the front-lit porches,
the county league
softball games.
is this it,
yes, yes it is