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The Examined Life

Once there were
Spiders, bluejays, and dark tadpoles
Wriggling in dark ditch waters.
In the body was a silent ocean
With sea anemones, starfish, and seahorses.
There were fantasies that became flames.
 
Now this bright world is only
Notations, scribbles on pages.
 
Now, only alleys of unraveling cloth
And cracked dolls.
 
The minute-hand's mania
And the short skirt's scenario
Rule a life of pharmacies and grocery carts.