To say that something is wrong
in the cities is to imply that
all’s well on the quiet cul-de-sacs.
Someone is buying some knives online.
Have you seen the new cartoons,
read the full list of ingredients?
To say that the cities are afraid
to even open windows wide enough
for a full breath of twilight
is to imply that long driveways
are doing their best impressions
of icebergs, of middle-class life spans.
The father is trying to explain the place
where blue sky becomes black space,
failing in finding the truth, even up there.
No matter where, no matter the number
of stories, they know you’re not
from around here, don’t they?