Say What?

The Debtors

Greed, thy name is teenager
All for one, not one for all
Orbits the world about him
Everyone at his beck and call

Chores are far too much to ask
No thank you and no please
Indifferent and indignant
He has the day to seize

Service, thy name is parent
All for one and one for all
Orbiting the satellites
Catch them if they fall

Chores are endless, must be done
No thank you is foreseen
And once upon a long ago
You were yourself a teen

Seats

We sit in the stands.
We sit in front of our televisions.
We drink beer and soda.
  We eat chips and pretzels.
   We grumble.
    We cheer.
     We drink and eat some more.
      The athletes sweat for us.
     We pay them handsomely.
    We gripe about their salaries.
   We grow fat and lazy.
  We love sports.
We love to watch sports.
We do not play sports.
We sit.

Back he comes
    The face like mine
As in my photos
    From the booth
He shaves with me
    Every morning
And watches me
    Wash my hands
I try to speak
    But he’s so quick
We speak together
    And say the same
I wonder if
    He thinks of me
As just the man
    In his mirror

Candy-coated rusty nails

Putrid goo in luncheon pails

Toxic waste in bottle tops

Lemon and onion-laced eye drops

Vests that aren’t bulletproof

Bacon grease on slanted roof

Lethal toys for girls and boys

Days of pounding hammer noise

Earthquake in a house of cards

Barefoot over glassy shards

Motorcycles missing brakes

Covered-over sharpened stakes

One by one they pull each hair

Hours of Teletubbies fare

And then you find the deepest hell

It’s almost more than words can tell

She looked into your hopeful eyes

The corners of her mouth did rise

It wasn’t then as you had planned

She didn’t take your proffered hand

Behind you was another guy

Her glance was gone as she said, “Hi!”

Face The Day

First a good scrubbing
Pat dry, and check
There will be a flaw
A new flaw, perhaps
Cause for worry
Worry makes wrinkles
Wrinkles are a flaw
So worry a bit, then
Time for a base coat
And some passing concern
For possible pimples
The eyes are next
A line for each, and
Thicken the lashes
Color for the lids
With a trace of sparkle
Shape the brows
Into graceful arches
And lift the cheeks
In a dusting of blush
Lips should stand out
To animate your words
A dusky pink will do
Purse, then smile
Check again
Then frown
Hair wants fussing with
But time is short
So the face you’ve made
Must face the day

written April 2010