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Introduction 

Since hope is a thing with feathers that perches in the soul,
Then, belief is the feather vane 
holding it together. 

And what you believe may be what I know 
or, the other way around. 
Maybe we don’t believe at all. 

Chapter I 

Sharks are evil 
which is why you will never swim with them—  
especially not while caged— 
where in a moment of weakness, you might dare open your eyes 
only to meet up close a steely one of theirs 
as they stealth-swim inches from your prison 
and you forfeit a piece of your soul. 
                                                            If you believe, go on to Chapter II 
                                                            If not, go directly to Chapter IX

Chapter II 

When we finally 
evolve 
to access the other two thirds of our brain 
the human race will actually begin to  
devolve. 

Until then 
equality among us remains a dream 
governed by Hypnos from his ebony bed in Hades, 
sprinkled by Mr. Sandman, who is probably wearing a letterman’s jacket,
and captured in the BFG’s jar for safekeeping. 

So for now 
education is both your life force and poison. 
                                                            If you believe, go on to Ch. III 
                                                            If not, skip to Ch. V 

Chapter III 

Even though you will never really give up Diet Coke  
you still believe in yourself on the whole 

so you 

Keep stopping at parks to swing 
Keep talking to your children (who are eating chicken and rice) about 
current events  
Keep dreaming of the art scene in Seattle 
Keep dreaming of life in NYC where you’ve only visited, but know you belong
Keep vacuuming the house even when no one is coming over
Keep studying Psalms and Mosiah for clues 
Keep questioning “truth” 
Keep reading poetry in place of therapy 
Keep selfishly teaching the art of communication to one day master it yourself
Keep spending more time alone 
Keep finding babies in your dreams 
                                                            Go on to Ch. IV 

Chapter IV 

You want to  

see more 
read more 
write more 

                                    sky. 

                                                            If you agree, go to Ch. V 
                                                            If not, skip to Ch. VI 

Chapter V 

You live in a world where President Trump is fact and the world of Harry 
Potter is fiction. You believe the opposite. 
                                                            If you’re for Trump, go back to Ch. I 
                                                            If you’re for HP, go on to Ch. VI

Chapter VI 

Believing in people feels a little bit like not knowing whether the even-
tual, promised drop on your rafting trip is a three-foot dip over a gurgly 
rapid, or a fifty foot, cataractous plunge of body-swallowing doom. 

But you still do. 

You believe in them, because, for example, you think there’s a researcher 
out there, who has discovered the cure for cancer, and keeps it from the 
world, carrying her burden alone. She has decided to protect us from 
it, because the method for the cure is more horrific than the disease. 

Thank you. (You’re sorry.) 

                                                If you think it might be true, go on to Ch.VII 
                                                If not, go to Ch. IX 

Chapter VII 

You don’t believe 
that this is all there is— 
this one life— 
the last ounce of water on a desert hike 
the last seventh grader picked during PE square dancing
or even the last time you saw the one you were never supposed to love. 

No,  
there is more— 
an alternate universe where 
Michael Jackson’s secret children 
spend their days choreographing and performing 
brilliant art 
you might never see. 

And that’s just the beginning of 
more. 

                                                            Believers go on to Ch. VIII 
                                                            Non-believers, The End 

Chapter VIII 

Trees talk to each other 
through their root systems. 

Whether old 
deep and intricate 
as the wrinkles on a centurion’s face 
or new 
weak and growing 
like the fingers of a newborn’s hand 

they talk. 

With vibrations they stir their ocean of dirt 
sending waves we can’t feel to trees in other lands. 

They praise their Creators 
and they sing 
of oxygen and water and sun.

They whisper stories 
about predators 
like us. 

It’s happening underneath you. 
                                                            Move on to Ch. IX 

Chapter IX 

God is  

Heavenly Mother, 
who, pregnant with her Earth belly 
liked you even when you were thirteen 
and Heavenly Father, 
who you have pictured all your life resting on a throne
but you know now is more active than that 
and the Holy Spirit, 
who sometimes settles behind your ribcage 
and fills you from the center outward with liquefied light,
and your brother, Jesus Christ, 
who took one for the whole team 
and yet somehow would walk just you home 
carrying your backpack, as you hop over sidewalk cracks. 

They are  
one word. 
                                                            Either way, The End