you’d think we’d strain out all meaning
in this repetitive fiction of light & scrawl
like cave rock hieroglyphs in shared
language this symbolism will waste
through history you ask what are you
trying to accomplish there must be
merit in longevity a bottlecap
adrift in the ocean for generations
& I caved to a longing that glistens
aluminum in the sun shimmering
waves of brightness folded
tucked into a cardboard box

(originally published in The Literary Yard, Spring 2020)