Watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade,
I cleared the year’s caches over morning coffee.
The floats, like malign overlords,
Trailed their regalia and sponsor names.
I cleared the year’s caches over morning coffee.
All those accretions of absent thought
Trailed their regalia and sponsor names.
Nothing is pure. It’s been contaminated—
All those accretions of absent thought
Amounting to a sinister presence.
Nothing is pure. It’s been contaminated
With marbled swaths of turkey gravy.
Amounting to a sinister presence,
The relatives who shook our hands and left
With marbled swaths of turkey gravy
Across their muzzles are with us yet.
The relatives who shook our hands and left
Now occupy a screen. The frozen smiles
Across their muzzles are with us, yet
We’re riveted as cartoon characters
Now occupy a screen. Those frozen smiles!
Watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade,
We’re riveted to cartoon characters:
The floats, our malign overlords.