Listen to Sean Cho A. read these poems.
THESIS PROOF #1
Or when the tail is finally caught we can climb up
the tree. or. when the tale ends we close the book
and ask for sleep to find us. drunk dreams: vivid
and amalgamated. we share veal stew and talk about
the parts of our day when we were apart. you ask me
what you think your dreams will be about. i ask you
about the dreams you hope i’ll have. subjunctive thought
is a privilege: with a full belly. as the drops of rain
gather in the low points of the streets. we get to
imagine the even better what-ifs. here is everything
you ever wanted. here the birds have found all
the perfect spring branches to land on. here at the
end of every third act our hero is changed and content.
expectations have a way of taking the wonder out of everything.
THESIS PROOF #2
consider the consistent again of spring. or when coming
home my mother has me sign the papers that pretty much say
if the doctor says it’s bad enough, pull the plug. when the funeral
is announced the meetings and reports have a way of becoming
less vital and schedules clear themselves. the sensation of dying/death/etc.
how heightened language becomes a synonym for sensational.
can i have your attention? aren’t the words asking for attention.
saying: i know you could fall in love. or. eat handmade soup dumplings.
or. watch your favorite sitcom for the third time again. but. right
now can i have your time. everyone around me is getting older.
not just in the way that the birthday cakes need more candles. but.
in things like home loans. and. 401(k)s. those things don’t feel important
now. but. i’m sure they will be. not now. but. when it’s too late.
my girlfriend is visiting soon. i need to find a store with oat milk.
THESIS PROOF #3
the circumstances have changed. the landlord says a series of phrases
that can be compounded into rent increase. the end-of-month math
is becoming sadder every day. at the airport when the flights are
overbooked over the intercom the flight attendant offers us vouchers
for rescheduling our flights. would you miss your child’s graduation
for three hundred dollars. probably not. but if they pay for the hotel
room i’ll gladly be a day late to the conference. packaging is context. can
bring extra delight. we wrap the scented candle and call it a gift.
they tell us a story about how this container of aloe comes from
a small group of plants from the big island in hawaii. how the crop
has been passed down from four generations of local farmers. of course
non-gmo and fair trade labor so we will pay whatever they are asking.
over continental breakfast i watch a live feed of my cat climbing his condo.
he looks alone. he doesn’t know the difference between a trip and a new life.