Cardboard Maze, Late Night

The dry cereal, a brittle crunch,

late at night, a lonely lunch.

Box propped up, against the milk,

the cheap cardboard, thin as silk

but rough. A maze, all faded lines,

a dead-end, little signs

to nowhere. I trace the path

with tired eyes, avoiding wrath

of knowing I'm just wasting time.

A silly puzzle, a small crime

against sleep. The cartoon colors bleed,

a sticky smudge where I decreed

the milk had dripped. This paper wall,

this silly, simple, stupid call

to solve a problem I don't own.

Just here, alone, with this dry bone

of breakfast. Can't find the end.

Won't find the end. Just pretend.