People get really excited
about the fact that snowflakes
are unique, different,
irreplaceable,
as if uniqueness is synonymous
with beauty.
Every sore back,
every pulled muscle
earned while shoveling
those snowflakes is unique as well.
No one celebrates
the sore backs
or the pulled muscles.
No one celebrates the uniqueness
of the supernova.
Every single supernova
in every single solar system
in the history of the universe
has been different.
Every one unique & beautiful.
We watch them burst
a million years ago
through the orbiting
space-based telescopes.
We ooo & ahhh
as they burst a million years ago,
but we’ll see how beautiful
the supernova is
when we’re burning
on the beaches of Barbuda,
& it happens a mere
eight minutes away.
Every nuclear meltdown
(Three-Mile Island, Chernobyl,
Fukushima)
has been unique.
Every cow pie in every
hoof-pocked pasture
is unique.
Every cobweb caught in every hair
as you creep through the crawlspaces
of the world
to find last year’s Christmas lights.
Every knotted, tangled mess
of last year’s Christmas lights.
Every shattered bulb
on every knotted, tangled mess
of last year’s Christmas lights
Every broken bulb
in every knotted, tangled mess
of last year’s Christmas lights.
Every pile of dog-shit
revealed by the melting slush
as we take down those Christmas lights
& ensure they are knotted & tangled
for next year.
We need to find the beauty
in those broken bulbs.
We need to find the beauty
in the supernova.
We need to embrace
the dog shit.
We need to find the beauty
in the dog shit.
We need to find the uniqueness
in the dog shit
that will end us all.
Then,
& only then,
will the uniqueness
of the pre-slush flakes
be seen for what it truly is.
Andre F. Peltier (he/him) is a Pushcart Nominee and a Lecturer III at Eastern Michigan University where he teaches literature and writing. He lives in Ypsilanti, MI, with his wife and children. His poetry has recently appeared in various publications like CP Quarterly, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Provenance Journal, Lavender and Lime Review, About Place, Novus Review, Fiery Scribe, and Fahmidan Journal, and most recently in ShabdAaweg, and Cajun Mutt Press. In his free time, he obsesses over soccer and comic books.
Twitter: @aandrefpeltier
Website: www.andrefpeltier.com