because our skin and bones are too ugly for the eyes
see no evil, we tell ourselves
thirsty, we stop drinking water
because the sources were polluted and it takes years to clean them
we wallow in our own mess
tired, we turn a blind eye
to how sleep can invite creatures into our dreams,
made by noise and thunder
long-forgotten, the familiar conversation
around how intense one minute can be
when lost to silence
far away, the homes that raised us
we walk with closed ears and pierced lungs
without thinking how like a circle to its center: we are connected
grounded, we leave
like migrating birds to warmer climates
forgetting that too much sunshine invites worse rain
blame, the words we lost on another's mouths
when we fail to right them, by the hands we chewed
ourselves
human, we are, despite the various ways
we praise the machines: with soft language
to make life easier, we claim.