when it gets better and it’s wheat instead of corn,
grass instead of weeds,
faces instead of eyes and mouths and lips and ears
and the food goes down easy
and there’s more light than dark

when it gets prettier and there’s water everywhere,
and it glistens in puddles and lakes and rivers,
cooling on the ground and
seeping peace into the planet
and the pavement feels less rough

when it gets better and the feeling goes out,
flickers off like a lightbulb and lets you live
breathing instead of holding,
living instead of watching
I can understand