Element

Walking against the numbers again
stuck in a sum
and the only important thing
is to keep the briefcase in front, the coat casual,
the body language upright, dynamic,
intentioned.

Still, he can’t help but wonder — what is his measure
these days? Days of white lines and arrows, blankly
pointing back —
and why did no one say the sides
would get higher, or that being a parent
is lonely, or that green can sting your eyes?