SENTENCING
Jen Benka
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives
of the United States of America in Congress assembled—
whereas the next line could be glass, and the hand, a bird
whereas this is the firing line. the front line. the fault line.
whereas this is the assembly line. the picket line. the bread line.
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This act may be cited as “Construction is Reaction”
or “Told, Collected, Sold”
or “An Imprisonment of Unacceptable Terms”
or “Night Comes to All of Us”
or “The Dark Corn Field”
or “On the Tractor I Trace Her”
or “In the Middle of These Acres, This Ache”
SEC. 2. POWERS RESERVED TO THE STATES.
(a.) IN GENERAL.
woods fragrant with maple and mint
mountain pass thick grass
swampy marshes and lakes
she likes to think the hills are filled with children
she blows a kiss across the mist
silos and highways
all the lies made for us to live in
describe the pain and the pain will lessen
somewhere between geometry and poverty
the promise of the north
Section 1738C.
she wants her to unbuckle her bible belt
taste her sweet mason sweet dixon
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.
The table of sections is amended
by inserting the following new item:
“1738C. she wants her to unbuckle her bible belt
taste her sweet mason sweet dixon”
whereas they confess another violent day
whereas I count down and expect to be killed
whereas a necessary consequence of judgment is negation
whereas I want to kiss you
SECTION 3. DEFINITION
(a) IN GENERAL.
the line of your body in recline
something to fill in
something to blur
Section 7.
the word “marriage” means “marriage”
the word “spouse” refers only to a “spouse”
the word “family” refers to “meat and television”
the word “loneliness” means “empty drug”
the word “concealment” refers only to “something humiliating”
the word “love” refers to “something like a crater”
the word “conviction” means “convicted”
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.
The table of sections is amended
by inserting the following new item:
“Section 7. Definition of “conviction” and “convicted”
this is the power line. the property line. the pipeline.
this is the dotted line. the timeline. the life line.
I am a seer of absence
and this is how it ends.