locked into course syllabus 

where students are told to encrypt

where students are told to encrypt

what this writer meant

what this writer appears to mean

where he was in his life

where he was found in his life

when these lines danced in his head

when these lines clashed in his head

where are the receipts

are there receipts, emptied rum glasses

of his existence, leaking

lone puzzle pieces, leaking

into ripping rivers and oceans edges

across landscapes to mountain creases

on his palm lines, images

from his brow lines, images

of expressions appearing in name searches,

with words socialized in name searches,

or ink drips in journals for only writers

recited on podiums with monotone voices

poetry lovers cuddle in sanitized rooms

cuddle and speaking in sanitized rooms

or cluttered mic-silenced cafes, pleased 

or conference corners in whispered joy 

with themselves. Seeking

simplicity of collective beliefs. Seeking

out the poet with some wonder 

studying the poet with curiosity 

where are the tents, apartments, 

where are the cots, field star-filled skies,  

houses to host as museum,

houses to claim dominion,

to promote this poet was here

to say this poet was here

locked into a course syllabus.