If the lines in these palms were reliable

If the lines in these palms were reliable, you'd say
we're headed for a happy ending
but which hand, the one with a progression
of lines leading to hatch doors, in white corners
at the end of long painted hallways

the secret is not to freak out, the secret is
to kick

the door
is a backup plan, the backup plan is a door
that was thought up before
the executive of this flashy enterprise decided to outsource
the human side, script readers
make better use of the language, listen for the cues
make the right sounds
at the right times, like an alarm clock

you look at the other hand, they're different you know
the secret to seeing straight, lines like strings
cinching steadily
narrowing your focus.


A poetry prompt from naming constellations