Too cheap for glossy simulacra
i had only seen in pictures
to settle for sharp pixels that grow
blurry with my desperate, clicky zoom
in an archway I could not step foot through
let alone travel to without a worry of some kind
my fear is frugal
salmon-red walls and cream wainscot
checkered floors, a polished chessboard
the gleam of sunlight explodes through an open door
striping the faces of smooth pillars
striping the waxy palms of potted Zanzibar Gems
i could almost catch the heat on my face
In an archway unaffected by time or place
it could be next door to me
it might be the gateway to a mirrored equator
itself dreamed of and designed through a mess of lines
plates of CMYK bending
if i wanted to believe it,
if this is the place
behind the confines of dreams
i’ll search for it anyway.