Social Means
Autumn Dern
Inspired by “Coming Back for You” by Jamaal May
Baby-faced stones leap and bound atop stretches
of still lakes. Breathing the whispers of snow-dipped peaks
Pine needles and Pasque flowers settle in lonely river banks
until tourists crush their spines for the sake of taking
Pictures and gaining likes. In Tokyo, a girl scrolls past
an abnormally perfect square of Colorado’s dripping
Sunset. Where clean water floods out of faucets unlike
Louisiana, where a boy must bathe in iron. Where bottled
Water is scarce, but necessary for a shower. An airport
that leaks worried women on smart phones and college
Students returning home and the lonelys that
hide in corners without outlets. A girl flies to Portland
Hoping to see her sister’s farm and occupied belly. A boy
in Sydney waits for a whistle that only a musician
Could hear. Feathers dance around breezes that try to
figure out the brass inner workings of the human
Brain. A boy drapes his lanky calves over a lonely pier
to hear a tear calling from Pennsylvania. Wondering and
Tinkering with what if and maybe. He licks
my thumb as the girl in Tokyo scrolls past us.