Variations on a Theme By Wallace Stevens

Oh thin men of Haddam
Why do you imagine golden birds?

I.

Oh thin men of Haddam,
How did you lose all that weight?

II.

Oh thin men of Haddam,
Involuntary symbols
Of austerity and inanition,
Let nobody condescend to you!
Who better to dream at night
Of the "silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun"?


III.

Oh thin men of Haddam,
Do you remember Pontiacs and park benches?
Do your sons and daughters have rock bands
In your garages?
Has the opioid epidemic reached your town?