26. tower of cardboard

Prayer is like the kayfabe of religion.

The death of the Red Planet’s longest-lived robotic explorer.

ever-pushed-back upgrades
or decay in denial
the art of coping
& promises turn into background noise
what valor export
can you expect from the polar vortex
lane divisions erase
past-participles erode
what zeal to destroy
can be expected
when the highest rot proclaims,
& the drones bring, fatal joys
alternative orders
around various kernels
of superstition coalesce
i swerve for a pothole
have only been swerving for years
& no path come of it
a symphony
for the most part silence