Branded

 “Seduction, during the Dust Bowl, was a handful of polished shells, maybe a white shoulder twinkling at the collarbone.” - Julie Haas, Consumed Moon: The Eclipse of Retail

 

work the perfume counter

    usher the blue-hairs towards their familiar scents 

swish your arm to showcase 

    the possibilities, the unbelievable

within a wallet’s reach, they will drop

to their knees before the altar

        under armour

                hot topic

                        radio shack

                                hobby lobby 

at the strip mall plaza 

    pantheon, they will drop

by the Painted Mirth and strike out

    in their Royal Flesh foundation 

blending sponge and blush 

 

let them consume themselves 

at the public mirror-brush brush swish and brush

        lucky brand

                dollar general

                        game stop  

                                banana republic

 

the old toil of harvest, of setting the sill logs

is fading from our knuckles, so work 

 

the register at The Forgotten Pallete, roll

those dented cans of low-sodium lentils across the red lasers, beep

beep and scan, dream on, and beep and scan

        home depot

                tractor supply

                        foot locker

                                american eagle

 

here at Tale of Lamps, we aim to light up the lives

of every person who walks through those doors, give

 

them the best possible lighting solutions for all

their home or office needs, be it in the bed,

in the bath, or beyond

they must confuse 

merchandise for charm

__________________

dVerse - Poetics: The charms of Samuel Greenberg

apologies to The Pale Impromptu