"Chaos Theory"

Chaos Theory

It’s no secret that
everything is dirty and
falling apart-- chaos
no longer feels the need
to hide itself.
A strange, powdery dust
covers my house and
no matter how much I clean,
stray particles remain.
The cheese is moldy
by the time I return from the market.
Music comes out of only
one speaker.
The locks don’t work
against thieves.
At night, I hear
cars colliding,
doors slamming,
tin cans rolling down the street,
random, screaming arguments
and I dream the neighborhood
is exploding.
Whatever all of this is,
it is no longer
waving at us from afar--
it used to blow kisses,
then it moved next door,
now it lives in our homes:
not in the basement,
the attic,
the closet
but in the center,
in the heart.
Anything can
and will
happen.

©JEF 1993