Age of Quarrel

by Dustin Luke Nelson

Quick! There are rodents in the quarry.

These banking helicopters flying low

over ocean-swept deserts are protecting

our cyber-utopianism. This is cyber-

utopianism. It grows arms like Mr. Potato

Head and distributes ski-masks to everyone

in line. And maybe mashed potatoes

if rations allow. There are rations today.

There’s the long haired dog sleeping

By the leg of the table. Hello dog.

No one says hello to the dog!

They say, Thank Mr. Potato Head

Arms, for these, our ski-masks.

They are, of course, black. Any other

color might lose the cinematic quality

of the ski-mask. The quarry!

And there are jobs decorating cakes

for our celebration.

How we celebrate!

There will be cake for sure.

This much I know. And probably more

potatoes. How we love potatoes. Really.

I love ‘em. And. Um. Halloween is fun.

And there are jobs

Exterminating the rodents. There are always

rodents, and so, always jobs. And there is

the slow trickle of rain water

from the roof. And when

it’s quiet you hear it.

It’s so loud. And. Ah.

We put books in shelves.

And cereal with milk

in bowls. And. Ah. Did I mention

Halloween? That’s good too.

We like Halloween.

And there are safe neighborhoods

and bad neighborhoods

and we like the balance

that provides.

Dustin Luke Nelson is a founding editor of InDigest and InDigest Editions. His poems can be found in H_NGM_N, Shampoo, Monkeybicycle, Minnetonka Review, and elsewhere. He’s been a writer and producer on Radio Happy Hour and Geocachers. He blogs at blogsareaboutego.blogspot.com.