I told Jenna
one poetry book
equals
an Oxford English Dictionary
or two boxes of
Girl Scout Cookies,
equivalencies being
the lifeblood of poetry,
along with the rigmarole:
aa bb cc,
metaphor, simile.
Equivalencies.
As in 155 murdered
children
are equivalent to
310 parents of
murdered children,
maybe more.
There are aunts,
cousins, grandparents.
Sibs, also.
Love is love. Just, its
focus can be mutilated
by Tomahawk missiles
and stored in dead-end files.
“Pete Hegseth,”
“Donald Trump.”
*Emailing my theory of equivalencies to Indolent Books pressmate Jenna Le prompted this poem.
First posted on: Second Coming No. 605 — September 16, 2026 / Second Coming is "a poem-a-day protest against the threat posed to our democracy by Donald Trump and his fascist regime. It is a sponsored project of Indolent Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Consider becoming a paid subscriber or making a one-time tax-deductible donation to support Second Coming. https://secondcoming.substack.com.
