Anywhere to Go

We don’t know why it didn’t wander off.

It hadn’t softened toward us since it had arrived –

whence we never knew – but harbored itself coolly,

glancing here or there at this or that or him or her,

occasionally where we were. We clearly hadn’t

caused the smallest stir. Then various components

on its surface of what we assumed was skin began

to glow. This turned out to mean that it would

speak to us, though very low.

“Is there anywhere to go?” We heard it

almost as if we had heard it in our heads, sleeping

in our beds. So deeply that it made us really wonder

if there were another place to go. We found ourselves

replying to it, “we don’t know.” And then we went

somewhere within we hadn’t been, which made us

slide down every slippery degree of yes into 
the singularity of no. We were aghast we had

to add, “but we don’t think so.”

.