a dog and a rainbow are
the same but not an orangutan
as are a train and a mongoose
dissimilar inside a book
a thing not the thing
yet understood as thing
as if an echo were a voice
that meant less than a sound
so he speaks a word in German
or perhaps pigeon Portuguese
pat snarky apologies for Lent
as appeasements to the guards
all thought does disservice
in attempts to stay in place
(November 17, 2016)
subtext 