"The Waterfowl Ballet" by Jennifer MacBain-Stephens
Two mute swans (Cygnus Olor) dance a long Act one
Act two is drama filled with a real foul wedding
Act three is more accept yourselves! Read The Four Agreements
How many church placards sell the idea of God as wrathful?
A ballet of sci-fi, of Fellini, of milk carton mug shots,
of repurposed oak tables, of braided hair pomp
too many betrayals for a secret game night audience
so looney, so full of retro candy and live streaming
they cannot applaud the correct moments
one swan bends the other one backwards, the long
neck scrapes the floor, the wings vulnerable, trying not to beg,
but the curtain is broken, does not fall when it should
so the swans hold this pose forever
the gulls and ducks swarm the theater, a true menagerie
of white flight and shit storms and rudeness
A ballet clean-up crew tried to help
a rage-y B movie mob
replace grace
with an instinct to follow
to run full speed off a cliff
to burn things and go to prison or die trying