the necessaries

dots and dashes,

lines in patterns,

cups and saucers

neatly painted,

a rousing chorus

before breakfast and

a song before we sleep.

build a cornice with a ruler

found a wall to mount the deep.

a pleasant riff, lusty dreams,

a woven carpet or

a cleanly tiled floor.

if you ask saint emily

what she’d needed

she’s going to tell you

it was dough.