steal this poem

cross out my name
and write your own above it
make one up
if you don’t like the one
your parents made up

you can change the words
or replace them
with identical copies of themselves
they all mean the same thing

put on your new shoes
and walk to the open mic
don’t talk to anyone
just stare through the floor
at the center of the planet
and wait your turn

if you forget to read it out loud
it doesn’t matter
no one is listening