they made sense most of the time 

and when they didn’t 

we chalked it up to enthusiasm 

and secret ambitions 

 

their lives were credible enough

did they believe them 

what we hide from the world 

is enough to fill several closets 

 

coming from rich families 

the entitlement was difficult to parse 

this world produces winners 

sometimes they won 

 

she asked what kind of danger I was in 

I wondered how she 

created distinctions

in the way we’re all connected