Global Positioning

But who orchestrates the murmuring
as we hear the pluck of a harp

and see it trigger a long line of bows
taking aim at the ambiance of flying ants

reaching the balcony in quiet droves
burning in delicate dangling hives.

Children speculate which came first:
"open sesame" or "Sesame Street"?

Adults calculate: to stop the rain runoff
that breeds the ants that fills the town

with swarms that seep into an auditorium
that fizzles them in its lamps — and suggest

simply call out the cymbals and bassoons
traffic stops in swoons — like the rain

its coming — call out the cellos
to choke the fog of it honking

until Bruce released the brakes
and you wonder if you're the only one

bananas for the way things were
before the precision in flicking French horns

and dangling trombones to make your soul feel
so grand it swims out with the oboes.

(Nov. 2012)