THE MOVER

Go ahead,

strap a piano

on your back,

wind your way up

the steep staircase

you think

you’re climbing

in your mind

to the top floor

of an empty residence

just to prove a point:

that asking for help

is something you

just won’t stoop to.

While you’re at it

you might as well

just tell yourself

that what you’re carrying

is nothing more than

a piece of lumber

and not a Steinway.

That’ll be your second mistake.

Wood can sing

and so can you,

that is, if you

let others in

and let their kindness

carry you.

CONTACT

You ride your train

and I’ll ride mine.

Let’s treat our travels

like a treasure hunt.

Let’s see what

each of us finds.

Who we meet

and the contacts we make

may catch us

completely off guard.

Who knows, we may even

stumble upon

a little piece of

divinity along the way.

THE YARDSTICK

Measure for measure

size does matter

when the rule

you’re using’s

yours.

Any other stick

plumb won’t do

'cause the standard

your handling

ain't true—not for you.

So leave the contracting

to contractors

that’s their business,

yours is yours

and that's

for damn sure.

SELF-PITY

It doesn’t matter where you walk your dog,

in Point Isabel or on a Tilden trail,

your pooch will find it, the patch.

You know the patch I mean:

the one your dog is rolling around in

when you catch-up to it.

The one that has it all wild-eyed

and wriggling out of control.

It won’t stop, it can’t stop,

no matter what tone you take with it.

Your animal is just too damn busy trying 
to cover every inch of itself

with the vile matter, which is either

shit or the filth of death.

You will literally have to grab it by the collar

to end the disgusting episode.

Then later, you will have to spray

the beast down in the front yard

before you can even think of letting it

back into the house.

And yes, you will be the one left 

holding the hose.

Any of this sound familiar?