at the laundromat
during the plague
the normally indifferent faces
left as eyes
floating
in an indistinct void
over paper masks
as the dirt
of the week
is slowly spun
from the soiled cloths
that somehow keep
this emperor
roaming the hallways
of his own mind
in glorious nude
misunderstatement
of the differences
between
viral infection
and
how i haven’t tasted anything
since the day
my dreams died
in my arms
as i begged the doctor
to pull a miracle
from the aether
of an uncaring universe
so i repeat the words
whispered to ward off
evil spirits
plaguerizeing the demons
that laugh
at our misery