Econ 101

With an astute analysis
of lunchroom economics

Annemarie voiced her thesis
in no uncertain terms,

"It is 60 f-ing cents
for a cookie!"

and in doing so
perfectly illustrated

rising commodity costs.

Logical Fallacy

"Woe unto you, ye that are full now!
 for ye shall hunger."  Luke 6:25

I was friends with a guy once who had never known
hunger.  He was very fortunate.
He assumed hungry people were just
too lazy to get up and get food.

We had some drinks one night and
he told me as much, but I tried to explain
46 million Americans live in poverty
including 20 percent of our kids.

As his fingers pushed hair from his face
he had the deliberate look of someone
who needs to dodge facts because they
conflict with their world view.

He took a drink and smiled small.
Elvis Costello sang on the jukebox,
"and I would rather be anywhere else
but here today."  His foot tapped.

In the moment he set his drink
on the faux wood bar I realized
that he would no longer be my friend.
We might smile and nod

as acquaintances do, but
he knew that I knew, and I knew
that he knew that I wasn't buying
his great philosophical leap that

a laziness epidemic creates poverty.

Last Week

On Sunday, my Gemini horoscope
told me this week was lucky.

On Monday, the rain threatened
to stop soaking my backyard.

On Tuesday, my friend Olivia said
she dreamt I'd won the lottery.

The rain stopped, the sky
turned October warm.

On Wednesday, I bought instant tickets
and won 6 bucks.  Thanks Olivia.

On Thursday, I got a paper cut,
but it didn't bleed for long.

Now it's Friday.
Sometimes that's enough.

Skeptic

Outta nowhere
my son yells, "Liar!"
and I realize, startled,
that it's the commercial
with the governor
talking 'bout all the jobs
he's created.

And the kid's right.
The few jobs that've come
weren't brought on the wings
of this governor's policy.

Of course my son
is simply repeating
what he's heard us say,
but I like to think
he's also learning to question
the claims of bullshitting
politicians.

Adam

I thought I saw Adam the other day
in the side mirror of a rusty
blue pick-up truck.  It wasn't him.

Then a flock of blackbirds flew fighting
one another from lawn to treetop.
Their hostility made me feel lonely.

I was going to call you, but all you have
is a cell phone and I don't want to talk
while you're deciding what vegetables

you want on your turkey club
on whole wheat at Subway.
We haven't spoken in months.

I don't blame the vegetables, it's
my hang up.  I don't blame the blackbirds either,
even though they're clearly following me.

They've just arrived next door.
Our cats will take care of them.
Where does Adam live now anyway?

Measuring Success

We played baseball in our front yard
almost every day this summer.

The neighborhood kids blasted shots
down the sidewalk and became heroes.

It was my job to pitch only strikes and chase
hits 2, 3, sometimes 4 driveways down.

We measured our success in bases run, and
our exhaustion in melting popsicles.

Now the summer is nearly gone.
Assessment will become more complex.

Skyline

There is a giant shell of a factory
being constructed near downtown.

At first it was skeletal
with steel beams reaching skyward,

and now it appears they've begun
to bolt on a skin of aluminum sheets.

The factory is several stories tall
and passersby stare and point

as if they cannot recall what
purpose a factory serves.

I watched a man and woman do just that
Saturday at 10:30 am before walking

hand in hand into the bar for a drink.
They too celebrate the coming jobs.