Saving trash cans on street corners

we were alone or alive or sleeping
inside the weather was great, almost tropical
I spill water in the kitchen for reminders
taping paper to the wall, paint it grey

Headphones, artificial sweetener, missing toothpaste caps
the cable to the toaster oven is white
Cardboard cutouts of butterflies
Trying to sleep with my hand folded over my mouth, very sleeping

Waiting for feet to catch up, walking in the night
Every house resembles a large orphaned zoo animal
no place for concrete rock shaped cave
no place for waterfall pumped into penguin lagoon

The traveling circus maybe, I say to my self
taking eight breaths in a row very slowly, very quietly
on fire like making tea while camping inside an old sock to strain
The leaves releasing small amounts of air over time

To the surface they break and open up into the air
The waves in the distance over the sand
We say out loud “we are plastic, we are melting plastic in this fire”
a garbage truck rolls by aimless, less amused