Poem: Tinymind

Tinymind

Yer a mad scootermonger, said Harold to the

change clerk, whereupon the change clerk said

I don’t have to take that from no one and I

probably will, too

You haven’t thought that the sun couldn’t

rise without us

that little Bobby Hermedon couldn’t tie his

shoelaces, nor eat a wholesome breakfast

without one of us paper pushers

pushes us

paper

If yore life is so damned little or so

damned big

whyntcha prove it and see how many

perfectly

executed

checkmarks you can place within the frame of my

time clock fricassee

Go ahead and live yore unmarked path

yore reckless tango hall

yore foolhardy bean dip café

but dontcha come a-runchin to me when yore

number five paper clips run out on

April

third

around two o’clock

Oh and they will, too

First published in Onionhead.

(Lakeland, Florida) From the collection Great Showtunes of the American Stage  

Photo by Nadine Michaelah Kelley