TOO MANY REASONS

by Mather Schneider

The tomatoes are choking in the grass
and the sun beats down
on us with our wrong names
and bowlegs
and our faces depressed and angry
for too many reasons
no one can name them all
and no one understands how it is
for you
except that it is the same
for them
we chew our beans and
die
and if we’re lucky we go
for a swim in the ocean
just once
and dig our toes
into the sand
while the sharks circle way
out there,
the sharks
who will not listen
to lies,
truth
or fancy stories.