Eden

          1

About can mean near
or nearly.

A book can be about something

or I can be about
to do a thing
and then refrain.

To refrain is to stop yourself.

A refrain
is a repeated phrase.

           2

This table is an antique
from the early Machine Age.
The indented
circle within a circle
motif
which appears
at three-inch intervals
around the base
may be a nod
to craftsmanship
or may be a summary
dismissal of same.

It is charming
in its mute simplicity.

          3

People will ask, "Why should we care about this unattractive character?"
despite the fact that turning yourself into an admirable character
has been considered gauche for as long as I can recall.

The word "transparent" is often affixed to such efforts
while the mystification surrounding the unflattering self-portrait
at least provides some cover.

Now someone will say, "You don't need cover
unless you're standing naked at a window
shouting, 'Look up here!'"
 
Copyright Credit: Rae Armantrout, "Eden" from Itself. Copyright © 2015 by Rae Armantrout.  Reprinted by permission of Wesleyan University Press.
Source: Itself (Wesleyan University Press, 2015)