5 october

it is an offer no one can refuse
and yet the offer is not spoken -
the smoke is up in mirrors and
the light is too fantastic to
trip -- we've eclipsed the ranks
to give the thanks and step
out of the house that jack build
for lacking quilts we make our
forts out of short straws and
pay our way to the top with the sticks
and bricks and the huffy puffy wind
even as the night begins and the
day betray its hours we are showing
with opposite ambitious as the missions
are accomplished and the kettles are
called in from tea