Upheaval
hairstyles elude capture
Upheaval
dignity in a calamity where
hairstyles elude capture
beggars enter the hell realm with a chokehold
on a chickenbone
sunshine entities reach a flashpoint where Oz
strangles their ideological blindspots
lucid dreams ennoble counterfeit claims
to paradise through a matchstick inferno
integrity swims upstream into a volcano asylum
where ice cream is arcane
senility appears nude in a masterpiece theater op-ed
and poses more than once by a urinal and a swimming pool
no one needs to know more than they already do
when they are flying to work in their paddleboat helicopter cafeteria car
silent stones litter the auditorium where blank faces
nod in tandem to super hero drama films on endless loop
no one can blame the stardust
that renders invisible the frauds as they delegate irony to their underlings
I am hoisted above the waiting crowd
unable to move in the iron grip of fascination, perplexed by doom
you don’t have to be a fabulist to understand
that falling coiled serpents are a sign of light
I walk with my head above the clouds
perched on a shoestring budget, exchanging reason for hope
No silence inside the vanguard
we have deflated all barriers to conquest, while we wait inside the dome of regret
Max Wolf Valerio, April 26, 2026