He can discuss the development
of cuneiform as expertly
as he
stocks and organizes
the shelves
of the store where
he works.
His is a mind made
for order:
the precision of
the stylus
pressed into clay
to record
inventories and
transactions;
bottles and boxes lined
up
on shelves, labels
facing out.
But life is messy
and illogical.
Great civilizations
are toppled,
cities and temples
razed,
storehouses
pillaged.
Customers misplace
items,
leave shelves in
disarray.
Priests and clerks
chant oaths
and beseech the
gods for order.
He knows what
happened
to the Sumerians,
overrun by the
Akkadians,
conquerors and
conquered
assimilated and
maintained
an orderly
civilization.
What he’ll never
understand
is why some people
do not think about
putting
things back on the
correct shelf.
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