when you decide
not to isolate

any longer
& a bird shits

on your
ice cream cone

as you walk
along the midway

at the state fair
so you take out

your pocket knife
& slice away

about an inch
off the top scoop

& a security guard
pulls their gun

& tells you
to drop the knife

& to get on
the ground?

& as you
lie face first

in the bird shit
laced ice cream

how clearly
you can see

the meaning
of life.