I would like a memorial plaque, please,
or a polite round of applause; a footnote
in a poorly received work of fiction;
for rain to ruin your birthday and then mine,
a reminder that maledictions
free no one from the weight of soggy shoes.

A nod from the president would be nice –
no words, just a fleeting glance through the
gallery for the astute stenographers
to capture and read back later what the
record shows. I would like for this to be
acknowledged, then stricken, then forgotten.