Doll faces with clipped wings
waving dollar bills
at the great dark
inside.
They see themselves in window shops.
They sing the music store songs.
With eyes as dead
as used leather jackets
they wander an infinity
of well-lit
oblivion.
Not every good person wins.
Not every bad person pays.
Not every smart person
knows the way.
Karma is a story that we tell ourselves
so that we sleep better at night
with our debts.
With our children beside us
we look out the window
and only see night
but sometimes we can also see
a distant light.
Sometimes it’s enough
to wake them up
so that they can see it too.
Children have a way
of seeing straight into your soul
and asking the most difficult questions
when you are least prepared to answer them.