Every morning
my father takes seven different vitamins
with the concentration
of a man repairing history manually
Omega-3
magnesium
vitamin D
quiet disappointment
He believes survival
is mostly chemical
Honestly
after the twentieth century
that seems reasonable
At breakfast
he reads headlines
with increasing suspicion
like someone checking weather reports
for signs of invasion
The kettle whistles
A neighbor starts drilling into the wall
at exactly 8:13 a.m.
the building continues
through pipes
through routines
through mineral supplements
My father swallows another capsule
with the exhausted dignity
of a country refusing to collapse publicly