fine

tonight
brevity became an art
danced on the tips of tongues
like the aftertaste of fine wine

and you
spoke in dialects of emancipation
as if we could glorify helplessness
with our words

because
you
are fine(s)
the way tickets are penalties
for better outcomes

alternate routes
forty ounces away from freedom

fine
like assertions
(affectations)
that pour out wordplay
the way
whiskey spilled on the floor

because we are
the objectified proletariat
glorified in academia;

self-referential fourth walls
to keep us
from breaking
that glass ceiling