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every morning
after dropping
the kids
off at school
i drive thru
tim horton’s
to get my xlarge
coffee
always confronted
by
the female voice
w/ the over-the-top
british accent
so sugary sweet
that it sounds fake
today
the woman
w/ the bad teeth
behind the accent
let her mask slip
& took my order
in her distinctly
canadian
tone
then
as i was driving away
she said “have a nice day”
w/ that fake
syrupy sweet
accent
you don’t fool me
not for one second
you’re a pretender
like hack poets
polluting the air
of university hallways
coffee shops
& bookstores
everywhere
framing yr poetry
w/ rhyme schemes
counting syllables
throwing out the best word
for the best sounding word
i know yr kind
yr masks are cracking
flaking away
like dead particles
of skin
dropping off
like autumn leaves
swirling
thru the street
bare branches
underneath
naked & trembling
- wolfgang carstens
