unlikely to condemn
the most impressive thing about the low backed sectional sofa
abandoned on the corner down the street from the little league fields
wasn’t that it would’ve been a better representative
for the fifth district on the city council than kim cook,
each just proposal quietly referred to committee,
but that it held on to its cardboard sign
for months as it was pulled apart
dragged around and tetris-stacked
letting anyone nearby know
it was free
different circumstances
the logistical negotiations of
whose bedside light should stay on
until when and in what sequence
with other winding down activities
now irrelevant
under pressure to rest for long enough
it’s not crippling like it can be
feeling out and around my body
relaxing my lower back takes
several minutes of focused attention
more willing it to go slack
than stretching to entice it
my attention is called
over the dulling effects of the brown noise
piped through the bookshelf speakers
drowning the living room
and futon mattress
on the floor
to my finger
I can’t tell if what I notice is
the feeling of the wound
or the presence of the bandage covering it
