A Piece Of Clothing

A piece of clothing
warm against a body

A piece of clothing
all wet
on fire
glowing
cut and sewn into a superhero costume

A piece of clothing
between a camera and a body

A piece of clothing
gone
not even seen

A piece of clothing
imagined
talked about
wished for

A piece of clothing
like lyrics against a melody
like clouds against the sky
like a philosophical discussion

A piece of clothing
sometimes with pictures
sometimes with numbers
sometimes with words

A piece of clothing
touched or untouched
obscuring or revealed

A piece of clothing
something like an angel
fallen or guardian
believed in or laughed at
wished for
turned away from

A piece of clothing
laundry detergent
washing machine
dryer
folding or hanging and putting away

A piece of clothing
warm against a body

A piece of clothing
wished for

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


“A Cloak of Anarchy,” by Larry Niven