Vultures

1

A product can be authentic;
an object cannot.

This presents a problem.

An identity can be authentic;
an experience cannot.

“How was your sleep experience?”
asks Marriott.

Praise or blame
is the only legitimate response.

2

Vultures wheel over Miami.

A sign that appears
day after day
is not a sign.

The library boasts a fine collection
of books written in private
languages.

3

Identity is made
of select experiences.

4

If you are genuinely sick,
the leaves recede

and the flickering holes between them
come forward—

not angels, but
unnamed objects
Source: Poetry (October 2019)