A man throws his weight against the world, as if
at the bow of a great ship – and everyone changes
the course of history or no one at all.

Money will determine everything you do, or don’t –
there will be days you will protect a coin
in your pocket as though it’s the last nail.

Kiss in front of a bust in a park, and you’re married –
a photo, if taken as proof, must capture the scarf
of trees, the five worry lines on the helpless head

(High collar and four brown donut buttons are optional
if a silent fire engine pulls itself across the earth
the way a drop of blood would roll down an arm).

You should find a way to make it illegal for a lawyer
to brush past an old lady on the street, and for any
one person to have more than a million dollars.

Don’t think old men with grey hair are wise –
some place a small ribcage for flowers near the window.
And pain is free but try not to be afraid.