I’m Not Faking My Astonishment, Honest

Looking out over the cliff, we’re overwhelmed
by a sky that seems to heap danger upon us. We
end up staring at a single white fluff in the air—
feather, fur, dandelion puff—we don’t care
to define it. The relief of having something
to focus our attention. At home, our patio furniture
unscrews itself under the usual sun. On this trip—
well, I’m not any sadder, I just have more space
for my sadness to fill. I don’t want to give
particulars. A woman huffing up the trail behind
us says to her hiking partner, It wasn’t my size,
but it was only 9 dollars. And now all I want
is to see what it is. The future refuses
to happen, so where else should I turn?

Copyright © 2023 by Paige Lewis. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on January 9, 2023, by the Academy of American Poets.

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“A few years ago, I bought a cheap table for the back patio, and every few days it would lose a bolt, a nut, or both. Eventually it collapsed, but someone on Craigslist wanted the scraps. I hope that person is living a good life with my terrible patio table.”
—Paige Lewis