19. Your Seat is Hard

All of you are in front of this wall. You can see through it from where you sit. Do you feel the itch? It is the skin of your shin. The sock has made your shin itch. A man behind you coughed. You are worried That a germ flew into the air you just inhaled. You see me now speaking the things you are thinking. Listen to the hum of the lights. No matter how quiet the a/c is, you can always Hear the air moving. You listen to the poets Read from their papers all the time. Their voice, my voice, changes the feelings the words cause in you. Think of your father’s voice. Then think of your mother’s. The sound of the NPR commentator whose name you forgot. But you can only hear my voice. Listen to the words I’m saying. If you wanted to read a novel, you shouldn’t have come here. Imagination is the process of thinking up sensations. Your seat is hard. Your nose has hairs inside that can sense the dryness of the air. Your ears turn red when people notice you. Your stomach growls. Your pulse Is visible beating in your neck. You sweat, And your skin shines. People can hear you swallow. You blinked again. You weren’t listening. The microphone transmits sound by electricity. Your mind can’t follow the words but Thinks of related things. It thinks of sex. It thinks of expectations. Thinks of: I’m going to stand up and walk, Put one foot in front of the other, ask people to Pull in their knees so I can get to the aisle. I’m going to walk to the back and not meet anyone’s eyes. I will put my hand on the door and push. The difference between The air inside and the air outside. The sun/moon light. The sound of ______________. But your seat is hard. Your socks itch. Your nose hair shifts, you want to pick it.