It’s a gentle art
like dyeing thread

or peeling off
the first sunburn

to slowly begin
by asking yourself

if anyone would be
happier if you saved

the airport t-shirt
the alligator jam jar

neglected crystals
or the poly sheets

you worked hard on
to bleach out

the nosebleed
it’s not bleak

to be prepared
only practical

to have an interest
in living better

because you’ve been
meaning to get

your shit together
but in the thrust

of the guidebook
they say stay away

from sob stuff
dishes chipped by

a lover’s brass ring
or punishment

inside a snow globe
get rid of everything

parasitic you’ve played
host to for this is

a new kind of belonging
this clean streak

you’ve got going on
while rewarding yourself

with a trip to the movies
or a fancy dinner

making sure there is
nothing to show for it

for nothing can be
brought back when

you get this good
at death and are willing

to convince yourself
of a tomorrow

where I wouldn’t have
existed at all.