I’m A Bad Engineer
By Chidozie George Emesowum
I fold paper into
An origami—mimic an airplane.
Hand it to a little girl whose
T-shirt reads fly. She leaps
Outside with that sun-soft
Smile, roots her feet
Between
The balcony railing, casting
This false work into
The lazy summer air. It is
Motioning to
Fall—neither crashing
Nor burning.
Sun
Down—
The afternoon wilting
Under our eyes.
I am a bad
Engineer, I tell her.
Say, things that tarry
With air are lifted
By gods—invisible arms,
Outstretched, over the vast,
Infinity spilling
From their fingers.
She asks, what’s out there?
Say, too many stars,
Dancing naked
In the holy dark,
Neil’s footprint
Still fresh on
Moon’s dust.
Something out there
Looking back at us with
Its bulgy eyes as
Though it’s looking
Through a glass.