Ordinary Life : Writing

AT YOUR SERVICE: Barista

BARISTA

I’ll take mine black

Strong as He-Man

And talking back

Bulleted with bold espresso

Misspell my name

on your largest to-go

AT YOUR SERVICE: Music

MUSIC

You help me remember
You help me forget
You help me kick these blues

AT YOUR SERVICE: Red Light

RED LIGHT

I don’t always appreciate you
But when I do:
You allow me to use GPS
Adjust the station
Nod at my neighbor
Grab a quick bite of my fast-cooling food

AT YOUR SERVICE: Podcast (There and Back Again)

PODCAST (There and Back Again)

Past piles of laundry

And dishes unwashed
Into my car
Cold
Idling

Mornings so fast

We’re all running late

You’re listening to
The Daily Commute

Our host: the sun
Peeking over horizons

Day so slow

We're all run down

The trudge back home
Resumes

So much unfinished

Awaits

Commute time unending

Horizons reversed

But I’m never lonely

Oh, look

A new episode

Co-host: the moon

AT YOUR SERVICE: Tall Man on Aisle 10

TALL MAN ON AISLE 10

To the tall man on Aisle Ten
Who helped me reach
the Holy Grail
Cleverly disguised as the last box of marshmallow cereal:

I thank you.

Not because I return home
a hero
It is unlikely they’ll even say ‘Thanks’

But, tomorrow is Saturday

I don’t have to work

I’ll sleep with no set alarms

for an extra ten minutes (or even quite more)

Thanks to you and self-served lucky charms.

AT YOUR SERVICE: Norman, Door Man

NORMAN, DOOR MAN

Kind sir,

It may actually surprise you,
To hear

how many people

Do NOT

hold the door for a lady

...nor her stroller full of baby.

AT YOUR SERVICE: Dinner Drive Thru

DINNER DRIVE THRU

“One bucket of

Too tired to cook (family sized)

Double side of

No clean-dishes, anyway,

A gallon of tea (no sugar)

And five hot humble pies."

AT YOUR SERVICE: Lunch Drive Thru

LUNCH DRIVE THRU

“Combo #3 please,
Large Unsweetened Tea “

I do not say

I lacked the energy
To pack a lunch
Today

I omit
The observation
I am more than half-way

Through this day

That almost
never was

I keep the story to myself

Of struggle

And insomnia
I return her smile and say

“Thank, you for helping me.

Today. ”

AT YOUR SERVICE: Breakfast Drive Thru

BREAKFAST DRIVE THRU

One biscuit:

Bacon, Egg & Cheese

Large Coffee

Extra Cream

:: Please pull forward for a brief wait ::

Tempted to grumble,
I’m running late

Someone

already at work

Brings me hot food

AT YOUR SERVICE: Alarm Clock

ALARM CLOCK (with snooze)

You allow me to rest
Knowing I won’t oversleep
And lose my job
And cease to eat
You nudge me awake
And don’t judge me
Again

And Again

And Again

AT YOUR SERVICE: Introduction & Dedication

I recently raced to meet the deadline of a small poetry chap-book contest. It's not impressive writing. I didn't place in the contest, but I won nonetheless: a sunny Saturday downtown, writing in one of my favorite cafes, good coffee, good music, and the moon walking me to my car at the end of the long, cathartic marathon.

I'll be using the next handful of posts to share those lines, no doubt editing as I go.

The Theme: Service & Gratitude

The Dedication:

Thank you to everyone and everything that has served my life so
well. You have made me deeply appreciative to be alive.

The Chapters: