ALLEGORY Poem: To Buy a Lamp, by Daniel Forbes

What a person desires in life
is a properly dim lamp.
One that is easy on the eyes,
still able to illuminate a desk
covered with ruled paper and text
yet without glare rendering lines
of graphite and ink unreadable.
This is not a simple catch.
There must be a seller, whose wares
might be found locally
in a shop of brick and mortar.
More likely, they might be found
on an online marketplace,
riddled with more trackers
than colonial America.

Indeed, take the time to install
an adblocker—modern-day necessity.
A dim lamp requires one to know violence,
and subterfuge, and the willingness
to use both in preparation of
porch pirates and seedy sellers.
As the delivery draws near,
take care to duck. The
driver may be done
with their urine bottle,
no bathroom breaks fostering
a properly dim mood.
Please sign again, they ask,
that signature looks too shoddy
and they might think I drew it.

Author: poetryfest

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