188
Sonnets From Other Lives: Gary

The kid next to him in the first class section
slouches down & boots up a computer.
His headphones are an implicit rejection
of Gary’s small talk overtures. Commuters
in first class will usually provide
him with some pre-takeoff diversion
(Gary is a nervous although frequent flier)
but this kid’s absolute immersion
in his screen has left Gary stranded in the air
above America alone. He sneaks a look
at the kid’s screen, but what he finds there
is not a shoot up game or an e- book
but inscrutable graphs & dials—funny.
Kid says—I make beats & beats makes me the money.