Novelty

Shit man, the world is false.
It’s secret and numb from too much motion.
I ordered X-ray glasses from a Boys’ Life.
I wanted to see the soul of man.
They promised so many things.
In the end, I had to imagine all of the effects.
I thought I could see bones,
But I channeled Descartes and he falsified everything.
Problem is he wouldn’t go away.
There I was going about my life
With a Descartes hanging over my shoulder.
He was instantly curious about modern life.
What’s that object? he’d ask.
I’d go about explaining things to him:
That is a computer; it works mysteriously like god.
That is a laser. It’s mostly used to hunt
Or entertain people. That is a horseless buggy.
Where are the horses? he’d ask.
They’re elsewhere, I’d say, but he was never satisfied.
I finally took to placing a paper bag over his head.
It was the same kind the homeless use
To conceal their malt liquor.
He complained, but I had moved on.
I bugged my empty room
And spent all my time in the yard listening in.