the calling in poetry

someone has got to fart around
observe and report back
while you work your asses off
don’t make artists have day jobs
we perform a needed service

while you toil to keep the globe spinning
you can’t pay attention to all the little things
that make life worth living
we can summarize this for you
in forms you can digest
after dinner on weekends
over cocktails with your friends
but there has to be people
waking up at two in the afternoon
just exploring what it is to be
deep in the weeds of a mutually-agreed-to reality
putting it together in a three AM whiskey haze
then passing out to do it all again
that’s how this has to work
please don’t make us have day jobs

not disparaging your day jobs
not mocking you your lack of time
we all have our roles
your building houses or doctoring
teaching or driving trucks
they do not allow the time to gaze into navels
they do not give you space to smell the flowers
they do not grant you patience to cavort with the fringes
that’s okay, we got you, we will report back
just don’t screw it up by making us have day jobs

someone has got to goof off and see between the cracks in the world
relay the information to the people with more day-to-day pressing things to do
we’re here to go crazy-mad and divine the big picture for you
while you all do the honest work
it’s okay, we have the big picture covered
just for the love of Christ, don’t make us take day jobs

we’d never had the time
to see the secret worlds for you
if it was that we had to
wake up before eleven-thirty

Last updated March 10, 2016