made of cherry wood
there are these words
scrambled atop this tall table
one with two high chairs
it sits in the corner of the room
the cherry wood
dark & shadowy
people who live there
people who visit
pass by on a regular basis
but they do not notice the words
one night one of them is speaking
philosophically
—the four others sit on the floor
listening & mostly nodding
he or she goes on to say it’s difficult
to explain what we’re trying to say
that it’s hard to put into words
the very words scrambled
across the tall tabletop
—like a puzzle dying to be put together
and they sit on the floor
& they ponder
the floor too
made of cherry wood
october two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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