This is a ballad
for the things that nobody
asks to the dance,
for the objects we take
for granted,
for the symphony that is waiting
for someone to listen.
So stop
and take a minute
to revere
the travel toothbrush holder,
the doorstop,
the tweezers that work.
Don’t you see what I mean?
Uncoated paper,
italics in general,
envelopes you don’t
have to lick.
Once you start,
they are everywhere.
Buttons of wood,
ball-point pens,
and then
the guy bagging your groceries
chooses that moment
to ask if you’d like to hear
a quote he read that day.
It’s Einstein,
the one about simplicity.
You tell him
to please never stop interrupting
the assumptions people
will make of him.
He promises me
and on the way down,
I realize the reason
kids love elevators
is because it’s a chance
to fly.