Narrative Poem: What's holding us together?

 

Ever since I learned of atoms as a child

I have been obsessed with disintegration.

I mean, c'mon -- what's holding all those 

atoms together?

Magnetism? Gravity. Electricity? What?

Some people are marked by an experience

with spontaneous combustion --

where a person just goes up in flames

for no reason.

With me, it's spontaneous disintegration.

And not just of people. Of things.

I have a memory as a small boy

of seeing a red fire hydrant near my house

slowly disintegrate before my eyes one

summer day. It was horrible.

Since then, I have worked at keeping

myself together.

I take collagen supplements.

If you take enough of it,

Elmer's Glue tastes rather sweet.

When I feel a loosening of my atoms

I immediately lay down in a tub of 

warm mucilage. 

So far, it seems to be working.

Of course, everyone else seems fine;

there's no reports of spontaneous disintegration

in the news.

Not that it would ever be reported

if it's been happening since the beginning

of time.

Something that happens all the time,

like dandruff,

is not newsworthy.

So I keep my eyes peeled.

And have placards printed that read:

"Keep yourself together!"

I just sent a shipment of 'em to

Lviv -- with rolls of duct tape.

One does what one can.