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mr. royal
________
woah woah woah, i should
steel my nerve,
cast my fears over fences,
get a grip on what's slipping and
steady my senses;
take change for no charge,
collect buckets of rain as the
hourglass follows my rent
down the drain-oh! is
this shit
really happening to
ME?
say boss man, got some work there for me?
don't even pay me
this time,
i'll do it FOR FREE just to
SHOW YOU how good
the work is from this bee
i've got the credentials,
the medals, the badges of
work under trenches with
deadliest deadlines from
3 a.m. feedings to her first
day of school, see...
i'm as good of a worker as ever
could be, cause i've got that
little one looking right up at me...
do you think i'm a slacker
who'd stumble in late when i've got
rice and beans to put on her plate?
now i know you may see me, sneak out,
run for cover, cause i'm not just her father,
sometimes i'm her mother and "that's such a risk,
what if she gets sick?" and a thousand other
ladybugs with shells of excuses to throw
my tattooed ass to the curb and shout
"so long, kid! best steel your
nerve!" but i'll dust myself off and
be back in the a.m., same as today,
if i'm sinking in snow or i'm
drowning in pain,
as your applicant (number 5-1-3-8)
the wholly unemployable
loyal mr. royal;
tattooed & terrified,
over-qualified cast-aside,
punk rock,
bottom rung,
singled-out,
number one
...papa.
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