Antonyms for “Late-Stage Capitalism”
I make noises with my mouth,
some of which are words.
I hold a receipt between my teeth
while I take off my gloves
and fumble with a keychain.
Most of the stuff in my pockets belongs
to something that no longer exists:
Padlocks. Telephones. Dinosaurs. Gum.
A dragonfly tries to mate with my left eye.
It is a thing of beauty, unattached,
and, surprisingly, my eye is open.
A siren signals nefarious weather.
I drop a jar of vegan mayonnaise
that shatters within its plastic bag.
Glen Armstrong (he/him/his) holds an MFA in English from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and edits a poetry journal called Cruel Garters. He has three current books of poems: Invisible Histories, The New Vaudeville, and Midsummer. His work has appeared in Poetry Northwest, Black Light Engine Room, and Impspired.