Be good and you will be rewarded

the dog will follow you around

nudging your hand

with damp affection for a scratch

behind the ear

and your hand will smell

because he hasn't had a bath in 2 weeks

End of thought

I broke a bud vase today

It used to be my father's shot glass

There's sure enough to be bad luck

And I want to clean everything

The stove, every dusty greasy crack

Break the coffee pot

Sympathy is scarce, affection

scarcer, money scarcist but whether

it's broken or out of reach

it isn't enough to screw yourself up

about or go to Japan for Salvation

© 1999 - Michael Rothenberg