Wake up!
Wherever you were intending to go
this morning,
the plans have changed.
Good news! No solitary confinement.
No more reminiscing about the past.
No more walks in the cemetery
with empty worries.
The institute has not barred daydreaming
but it is harder to do
with a bullet to your head.
You can smoke cigarettes
but hide the flame—
in fact, hide any enthusiasm.
Dreams are postponed indefinitely.
The institute is conducting experiments
on the benefits of delaying
and scientists are happy with the initial trials.
The Bureau of Sleep has special pillows
and pills help you forget.
The worst thing is worry.
Amnesia Passports for that!
The documents are blank,
just fill in the spaces
and be sure to sign at the bottom.
(Include Xerox copies.)
The Bureau of Nothing Doing will stamp it red.
Add a fading picture.
These passports will take you nowhere
but you’ll think there’s something to it,
a glimmer of hope, maybe,
to keep you shooting.
Robert Castagna currently teaches a poetry workshop at the local senior center where they are creating a book of poetry sponsored by the local arts council in Medford MA. He is a photographer and has returned to school to acquire a Master’s in English at UMass Boston. He hopes to teach and continue to write poetry.
