ALREADY GONE

Pop Love

In the unlikeliest of places
clarity
in a singable song
as you drive the route used
to drag your toddler into nap.

Or taped to a wall in a neighborhood bistro:
We will all wake up together.

Words tumble
spark as they fit
fill corners of the room.

This time the heart lies
in a safe room
undetectable by armies
of skeletal trees in moonlight.

The myth of first love tugs
at the compass needle
but true north is not swayed
for long
cannot be tricked by scenery.
You should definitely be able to live
without being swallowed up.
Shooting stars do not sling
for anyone
or two.
They are long burned out
(we are told)
copies of copies
like us.

Turn off the pop song
the quiet is enough
to wake us.

~j.b. rowell