the world escapes one day at a time
turning on and off like lightning bugs
or shadows on the pantomime
that dusk draws on the cabin rugs,

our lives elected by a connoisseur
to be off or on, like LEDs,
or Christmas lights that flicker
off on a toy display at Macy’s,

switches pounded on a hidden panel
by the winds that swarm outside,
by clouds beyond the weather channel,
too wild or starry for the TV Guide.

October 16th, 2016