Is It A Burden

Is it a burden to be so perfect

And to have such perfect children

And to have such a perfect marriage

And to look so perfect all the time

And to make every decision perfectly

Cocktails on Thursday with Sammy—perfect

You know your sweater really does look perfect

That mango salad you made-it turned out perfectly

And that car with your shoes

Goddammit that's perfect

Your dog—perfect

Your computer

Well it works perfectly

My supervisor—he's perfect

The desk, it looks perfect

All and all the day was perfect

And lovely and still

What did we do

We walked the earth

So perfect!

Perfect principles

Spring and all

It's perfection

Perfectly ok to be the sallow

Perfect skin and teeth

And shiny hair

And the bathroom clean

The curtains heavy, cream

Hanging to block the noonday sun

Perfectly

The coffin

Light blue

Well that's perfect

The family of worms to eat the face

They did a perfect job

Never coming back here again

I think that seems perfect

Goodbye

Great

Fantastic

Oh all the best

My love to you and yours

Fondly

Finally

Your little heart

Nestled in the air

For all to see

Perfect

Dorothea Lasky

Lasky was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. She earned a BA from Washington University, an MFA at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, a Masters in Arts Education from Harvard University, and a doctorate in Creativity and Education at the University of Pennsylvania. Lasky was awarded a Bagley Wright Fellowship in 2013, and currently, she is an associate professor of poetry at Columbia University, where she directs the poetry program. Lasky’s poems have appeared in a number of publications, including the New Yorker, Paris Review, and American Poetry Review.