meaning in poetry

meaning is a puzzle box
a children’s game
a part we all play

meaning is a cheap parlor trick
a sumptuous tasting menu
a lie that we always betray

meaning is constructed over time
just like anything else
from vaguely-drawn blueprints
like an Ikea shelf

meaning is the con’s text in context
a stand-in for what you felt
and the majority share of
what you think is the self

in other words,

the contents are real
but the structures are
completely arbitrary