Uniform Place

By: Priya Jain

Even if the school desks

Are perfectly aligned

And the chairs evenly spaced

And the walls precisely decorated

And the white boards

Sparkling white,



Even if there are regulations

For the houses in the suburbs

And the grass is evenly cut

And every last leaf is picked up

And the shrubs and trees

Are evenly groomed



Even if the tombstones

Form straight rows

And they are the same size and shape

And they are spaced exactly the same

And the graveyard is flawless



When we close our eyes

And imagine the earth,

We know it’s not perfect.