cherishing diminishing joy

they indicated the job was over

when the probing barbs meant to communicate affection

penetrated the parts of us

still worthy of carve

into a decorative orb

or a wilting perennial

or a piece of the sky

that we never really looked at anymore

and the cold steel of the device

responsible for replenishing the boxes

that deserved no replenishment

and fostered diminishing joy

would provide a reflection of the wound

it dug from

which became more unfamiliar by the day

but it was something to look at

that wasn’t the sculptures

in their boxes

those barbs never could communicate

the affection they intended with the obscured shapes they molded

and the cardboard never bowed

so the job never ended