Astronomer of Truth

it comes every day
the inexact night
when the stars cluster more approximately
than the constellations they taught you to see

other days you think you remember
as so much different from this one
and the dog down the street should have told you
but someone    maybe him
has been moving his bones around
to where that future won’t find them

your teachers should have told you
your apple should have told you
the flute that leads the dawn should have told you

the stars themselves should have told you
they’re all liars    and now you’re looking at them
wondering what they have to teach you next

from Trump Tics (2020)