Thesis Proof #1, and: Thesis Proof #2, and: Thesis Proof #3

Thesis Proof #1, and: Thesis Proof #2, and: Thesis Proof #3 Sean Cho A. (bio) Thesis Proof #1 Or when the tail is finally caught we can climb upthe tree. or. when the tale ends we close the bookand ask for sleep to find us. drunk dreams: vividand amalgamated. we share veal stew and talk aboutthe parts of our day when we were apart. you ask mewhat you think your dreams will be about. i ask youabout the dreams you hope i'll have. subjunctive thoughtis a privilege: with a full belly. as the drops of raingather in the low points of the streets. we get toimagine the even better what-ifs. here is everythingyou ever wanted. here the birds have found allthe perfect spring branches to land on. here at theend of every third act our hero is changed and content.expectations have a way of taking the wonder out of everything. [End Page 71] Thesis Proof #2 consider the consistent again of spring. or when cominghome my mother has me sign the papers that pretty much sayif the doctor says it's bad enough, pull the plug. when the funeralis announced the meetings and reports have a way of becomingless vital and schedules clear themselves. the sensation of dying/death/etc.how heightened language becomes a synonym for sensational.can i have your attention? aren't the words asking for attention.saying: i know you could fall in love. or. eat handmade soup dumplings.or. watch your favorite sitcom for the third time again. but. rightnow can i have your time. everyone around me is getting older.not just in the way that the birthday cakes need more candles. but.in things like home loans. and. 401(k)s. those things don't feel importantnow. but. i'm sure they will be. not now. but. when it's too late.my girlfriend is visiting soon. i need to find a store with oat milk. [End Page 72] Thesis Proof #3 the circumstances have changed. the landlord says a series of phrasesthat can be compounded into rent increase. the end-of-month mathis becoming sadder every day. at the airport when the flights areoverbooked over the intercom the flight attendant offers us vouchersfor rescheduling our flights. would you miss your child's graduationfor three hundred dollars. probably not. but if they pay for the hotelroom i'll gladly be a day late to the conference. packaging is context. canbring extra delight. we wrap the scented candle and call it a gift.they tell us a story about how this container of aloe comes froma small group of plants from the big island in hawaii. how the crophas been passed down from four generations of local farmers. of coursenon-gmo and fair trade labor so we will pay whatever they are asking.over continental breakfast i watch a live feed of my cat climbing his condo.he looks alone. he doesn't know the difference between a trip and a new life. [End Page 73] Sean Cho A. Sean Cho A. is the author of American Home (Autumn House Press, 2021), winner of the Autumn House Press chapbook contest. His work can be future-found or ignored in Black Warrior Review, Copper Nickel, Prairie Schooner, and the Massachusetts Review, among others. Sean is a graduate of the MFA program at the University of California Irvine and a PhD student at the University of Cincinnati. He is the editor in chief of the Account. Copyright © 2023 Middlebury College