When you get all the way down to the sub-atomic level,
the location of any particle is not governed by laws
but is merely predicted by probability.

So think of the microdust gassing away
from the delaminating soles of your loafers
as possessing a 0.00031% chance of knowing

where you put away the furniture polish
last time you used it, which was perhaps a year or more ago,
because who uses actual furniture polish?

It’s not on the list of 10 Foods You Should Never Eat.
It’s not even The Secret the Power Company
Doesn’t Want You To Know About.

Nevertheless, new advertisements will be coming
to your area soon! While you wait, make a wager
as to how all those apparently solid objects in your cupboards

are planning to mingle with the apparently solid knickknacks,
cleaning implements, and labor-saving devices
you will be shoving onto the shelves with them

as you sprint around tidying up before company arrives.
Just remember where you put away your voice:
middle drawer on the left. Your fear of judgment,

behind the door in the kitchen. Your nostalgia,
in the pantry next to the oregano. Your doubts—
those, you let out to roam the neighborhood.
 

Published in Cider Press Review, Volume 18, Issue 3.

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