umbrella umbrella 

i am deleting this sarcophagus
in favor of a parachute. birds relearn
how to fly in deep space. i open five umbrellas 
& find them all full of holes. through the holes, 
glow worms lower themselves. they washing machine hum.
everything is dew covered & laughing. a man comes by
& puts a leash on me. truly, i've always wanted
someone to arrive & tell me "this is how to be alive." 
instead he leads me to a lake of black water & says, 
"drink until you are gone." no matter how hard i try, 
i still remain a body with ears & knuckles,
only now with snow in falling hard in my throat.