by Allan Lake
Action agitated then a stop for death
before the restart roar of riotous, cyclonic,
metaphoric, microcosmic, non-celestial,
mechanical circling. I could watch front-
loader washers and dryers for minutes.
But plot is thin: dog chases its hi-vis tail,
messed up chicken flops around in mind-
less attempt to come clean. Earth spins
as it revolves around gaseous fireball.
Some passengers are sick by nature so
war follows peace follows war as motor-
mouth noise continues around the round
table until it breaks to refuel, all of which
costs an endless river of laundered gold.
Colours up, colours down, round and round
they drown, they dry out, sometimes over–
heat and shrink, to be replaced in a wink.
(we’re talking zillions in roundish figures)
The dryer costs a mere one dollar for six
minutes and you control the warm/medium/
hot switch. This is your superpower and
in gratitude you feed machine more coins
that you purchase for so many drops
of sweat, the very sweat that soils clothes.
Think of each glittering coin as a star,
created only to be swallowed by a black
hole where absolutely everything finally
arrives home, except for lost socks.
© 2025 Allan Lake All rights reserved.
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