in chicago, the cold breeze-sweeps  
  the hands of boys and girls  
into the safety and shelter  

of suede and felt  
      ... corduroy pocket  
  dwellings hiding  
each child's treasure trove:  

    1. multicolor dryer lint  
    2. Incredibles 2 ticket stub,  
    3. hard candy, RED  
    4. a shining penny (from his birth year)  

handle each  
       item blindly  
       roll over  
tip and palm.  

don't think of the face sting!  

but of home,  
and your toes  

buried in the shag carpet.  

Michael Cheng works as a software consultant. He twiddles morse in his sleep.