Zeitgeist (A Foul Effluvium This Way Comes)

1.
The cardboard box is longer than wide, wider than deep, and it’s dragged out
into the middle of the floor where a team of six adults is given the task
of opening it and assembling the contents (a bike)

2.
In this instance a small group of adults is given twelve pieces of uncooked
spaghetti to construct a pyramid. Superglue or masking tape can be used
to cement the pieces. A marshmallow must balance on top

3.
Last but not least is the human knot. A dozen people (plus or minus) make
a teeming circle in which arms become radii, and each person is holding
hands with two others. Now, without letting go of any hands, they
must undo the knot

R.L. Swihart currently lives in Long Beach, CA, and teaches high school mathematics in Los Angeles. His poems have appeared in various online and print journals, including Bateau, elimae, Rhino, Right Hand Pointing, 1110 and decomP. His first collection of poems, The Last Man, was published in 2012 by Desperanto Press.