subtext

• •

no answer is also an answer

yes is the default
yes is the hammer
to the frozen no
slivers of ice
embed like knives
in the virgin snow
no yes let me
guess to answer
is to acquiesce
as if tic-tac-toe’s
futile x’s and o’s
line-up in a row
the cat smiles smugly
bored as its essence

(September 2, 2016)