I hear Eddie Bauer is going under.

Like Play Airlines, or Spirit, whatever.
And Allbirds jumping out of shoes
to crypto, or AI, or whatever.

It would be better, after the pangs
of nostalgia, if they all sank back
to where they came from. I pray

the monster conglomerate, each and all,
has roots in the bedroom of a child
who saw the wall and breached it,

then did good for themselves
and others, their father, their mother.
If not, then this is true: these monstrosities

came from the combined dark spot
in our hearts — greed, undefined —
like the grave — from dust to dust.

It’s not a cycle. There is no Five Below
at heavens gate. Dollar Tree
does not reincarnate to Target. They go

away and their idols sell
at ridiculous markups on eBay. Baal,
why did you lie to us?