deus ex machina pt. 2

deus in the wings, taking hits off the fog machine, directs with shakespearean aplomb

deus as the hole in the sole of your quotidian shoes in the gutter beat

deus as the syncopation of your soul in 5/4 time—a blue beat among blue notes

deus as the sun ra arkestra in hyperdrive singing “nuclear war,” it’s a motherfucker, don’t you know

deus as the writing blister on your finger— the sweetest pain you know

deus as stan brakhage bubblegum—you chew chew chew ‘til your teeth go numb

deus as the usher who stepped away from lincoln’s box at ford’s theater

deus as the antediluvian methane seeping out of thawing permafrost

deus as another opportunity missed—exchanging sharp words with the stage manager

deus as your ill-lighted and out of focus photograph

deus snickering at his blackout jape—power cable in hand next to the light board

deus closing up shop and hanging his sign—away on holiday

“Sometimes nothing happens which means there is a crack that somebody lives in.”

— Carolyn Zaikowski / In a Dream, I Dance by Myself, and I Collapse