[We wonder at our shifting capacities . . .]

By Anna Moschovakis
We wonder at our shifting capacities, keep
adding and striking skills
from the bottoms of our résumés
under constant revision
like the inscriptions on tombs
shared for generations
unnervingly up
to date

Made nervous by our shift in capabilities, we write:

                                            I visited a country where kittens lay  dying
                                            under every bench, in every gutter, next to
                                            every  cigarette butt. One  made  me  weep.
                                            Two   made   me  worry.  Three   made   me
                                            look  away.  I  visited  a  city  with  very  few
                                            strays.  The   first   one   I   saw   I   adopted.
                                            What  could  it  mean?
                                                                          —posted by Sarah. 6.18.06

Hit “publish” and look away

The New Violence: I visited a country where
everything looked like home

Copyright Credit: Anna Moschovakis, “[We wonder at our shifting capacities . . .]” from You and Three Others Are Approaching a Lake. Copyright © 2011 by Anna Moschovakis. Reprinted by permission of Coffee House Press. www.coffeehouse.org
Source: You and Three Others Are Approaching a Lake (Coffee House Press, 2011)