A Little Clang Batter

My dad trots his daily laps dressed for a cruise
ship and who is to say he is wrong? If all
sizes are 79 cents then why would anyone
get a small? My only responsibility is to react
to today’s panic attack. One quivering
strip of black top connecting every other.
An overheated collection of bodies.
The kid at the mall strutting by Hot Topic
and he says to his dad, I liked this place
when it was darker. Have you ever traveled
across the country for a single human being?
Have you ever turned the fan directly on
you, woken up with a head cold for weeks?
The trees in the spring, thawed and crawled over.
Will someone tell me I’m haunted? My mom
barely misses a kid on a bike and cries,
PRAISE HIM. The kid or The Lord?
Here, open this bottle of sauce. I think I can
do it on my own, but isn’t it safer to not
know for sure? The siren blazing, no storm in sight.