balance beam

if you hoped to feel serene
and joyful when you took
a glimpse at that picture of
happy fruit, like peaches and pears
artfully hanging from the brilliant gallery wall,
remember the balance beam and please
don't forget about the failed poppy crop
in southern Afghanistan or the vicious cannibals
sucking energy from all the little children
still playing freely in my front yard.
these friendly kids are growing weary, tired from
the constant waking under a selfish red sun
where they see our glaciers melt, and suffer
from a nervous exhaustion made even worse
by the running of the Bulls and the Euro crisis.
Carl Gustav Jung disapproved of a fundamental self-
indulgence, which he thought was tragic
and dramatic, but he could offer no permanent cure.
and if you've been to vampire country, you know how
small bites can lead to a crisis of identity.
in sitting with a model in my studio, i'm often
reminded of the balance beam when i place her fruit
alongside my ceramic pitcher, which is full of water.