Those Minute Screams

People aren’t small enough yet
for us to pocket them all
so we will need to break them apart
if we are to steal away with them.

People are too loud
for us to get away clean with them
squalling in our pockets and hench-bags
so we’ll just scream along and drown them out

or amplify everything so much
that their protests become pop music. Keep them
yelling about everything all the time
and no one will hear calls for help.

People aren’t small enough
so we’re going to have to break them down
and press them between the bills
in our wallets.  When we buy anything

they’ll slip out and fall like leaves 
to the ground. They’ll be underfoot
and loud to the crunch. We won’t notice
after a while. It’ll be winter,

just us
and the money
and the nuisance memory
of those minute screams.