the machine misses a beat

More about the machine misses a beat

somebody taught the machine
to play piano
and now the notes
are falling down the stairs.

black keys,
white morning,
the neighbor knocking
with something heavy.

i sit with cold coffee
watching little rectangles
line up for work.

even the crooked ones
have to punch in.

then one slips sideways.
another follows.
pretty soon
the whole factory
is playing jazz.

the foreman calls it
a malfunction.

i leave my cup
on the windowsill
and listen.

for once
something broken
doesn’t need me
to fix it.