Cappelbaum Takes the Voight-Kampff
This poem appears in We Were Hateful People.
Cappelbaum takes the trash to the curb
letters inserted between brown
coffee filters and photographs
henceforth sorrow shall mean soupspoon
cattail would be perjury
table leg—please sir
may I have another
the wind the mind opens and shuts
doors in this house
Cappelbaum rests
between labour and sleep
as the sun keeps at bay
exposes the concrete
limits of work
(though only ever
in a certain light
Cappelbaum writes
"it burns a little
when I pee
says tweedledum to
tweedledee
the hares come politely
to shear the grass
(no dutch courage at the dacha
Cappelbaum (sans insouciance
sands walls tables windows
takes care not to care
to not admire the door or its frame
the eyeball is slim enough to fit
he thinks doth madneſs
make a sound doth lonelineſs
Cappelbaum reaches under the sink
in a flourish tugs at the black
readies a clean bag