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.