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Brown Bag Lunches
It was the crumpled up brown bag that made me think of it Lying there on the counter Brown paper bags could make one covet Anne Lamott said to write about school lunches So here I am As a child, none of the ones I encountered were repugnant Peanut butter and grape jelly on white…
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Unfollowable
I’m leaving my job And some of my patients’ faces look like they’ve been robbed When they bring it up They ask to follow me It’s flattering But I know delighting in the praise of men is folly And the repetitive talk is somewhat maddening Just one more week of it The usual grind and…
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When I Was Cool
There’s an old picture he sent me I imagine from maybe the mid-70s It’s sepia-toned And the young handsome guy in it isn’t holding a cell phone Nah, he’s holding a net Shirtless, hard to forget His thick brown hair and charming smile I’m sure left the girls overly courteous And in the distance behind…
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The Things I Don’t Do
My mom said I would do anything for my own child Turns out with my kid still in utero, my feelings aren’t mild I look at her black and white pictures everyday I’m already super mindful of the things I say But perhaps more importantly are the things I don’t do Like lick the brownie…
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Rapunzel’s Retreat
It’s a lovely little reminder A simple gesture that showed they’d come find her If she were lost, abducted, stranded Ankle sprained, flat tire, maimed But now she knows never abandoned Sometimes her gremlins speak They say no one would ever miss her, so that’s what she often thinks But today she sat in the…
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Quitting my Job
I’m quitting my job And hopefully I don’t sound like a snob I’ve started taking things out of my office And I already apologized to the new girl, a novice I remember being her nine years ago Some people have said they’ll miss me Eh, their sentiments are misleading Ask me how I know Within…
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The Mechanic & the Doctor
Over the phone, the mechanic said something about the serpentine belt I jotted that down (it might as well have been Japanese) I wish he could have seen how I felt I thought of snakes under the hood of my SUV Worse than a creepy birthday clown They could surely sliver their way into the…
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In the Checkout Line
I’m sure she knew about nine to five It’s such a tragedy to me that even the good ones die And on Tuesday afternoon I was in the checkout line When I saw the news Just one more thing to give the world the blues I’m not sure why these things come as a shock…
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The Hamstring Mishap
I was on one leg holding a dumbbell Just 20 pounds I hinged at the hip, lowered it down And I almost fell There was an instant crackle like that of thunder after lightning strikes Just under my butt, a release but also a feeling like spikes Something had split / popped / separated I…
writings on life
