to tell the truth


that old black and blue beat-up high school
history (glittered with grafitti) book
lies; columbus just beached his ships
on the first speck of land he saw
after he got sick of the sea -
he did nothing to prove the world is round.

for there are the worms,
sprouting up squished on sidewalks
after spring erupts from the sky:
they know the world is flat
but they don't give a bird
because crawling on the surface isn't cool.
all their compass needles point to "down."
only the worms know how deep the world is.

and there are the birds,
jet black miniature birds
gliding across the water-color blue
as if they were unzipping the sky:
they, too, know the world is flat
because if the world were round
then the sky would be round
and who could navigate across a round sky
(except maybe pigeons, who are too stupid
to realize it cannot be done)?
only the birds know how thick the sky is.

sunrise brings moonset sometimes
brings out an early bird
to catch and eat an early worm
while healthy, wealthy and wise men
shovel dirt in overalls
poets shovel clouds.

© Mark E. Dougherty