The orchestra pit and the space-aged bear trap
Happen to be the toastmaster’s favorites

He studies the sounds of words in a vain
Attempts to protect his partner

There are several large circular platforms
and upon each a crouching figure

Time is reshaped extruded through the openings
A coarse coping skill lifts its leg

With such ease that gravity seems to have been made
Its bitch / Its best man and maid of honor

After all is said and done most of the fun
Took place back stage

Lips puckered and more than a few buttons
Launched into the void

We learned the true meaning of “loneliness”
and “genuine leather”

Day seventeen
We talk about AIDS

Day twenty-eight
We consider the lobster

The night before the closing ceremony
Someone delineates an elaborate hopscotch course
That extends from the midway to the setting sun

The night before the end of the world
We try to smile and clasp each other warmly
On the shoulders.

Glen Armstrong holds an MFA in English from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and teaches writing at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. He also edits the poetry journal Cruel Garters.