To pass the Bar exam
it took him six months
of twelve to fourteen hour days
reading dry books
on top of the years
he spent on law degrees
Looking out the passenger window
at the sun setting on Boundary Bay
he references Tolkien:
You know the boats that the Teleri created,
the kind of work that could never be repeated
because they built themselves into the ships,
that was my Bar exam
I nodded in agreement
and quietly thanked the good Lord
for my marathon of singleness.Today,
I'd rather not
hear about
how marriage and parenthood
are such wonderful blessings
I’d rather
the Mariner pitching staff
warm-up using pool balls
with my crotch as the strike zone.Today
pictures of fat cats
forwarded by friends
on other continents
and punk rock songs
I listened to in high school
will have to be enough
to keep me from
thinking of you
and wondering
if the stories
about a new Jerusalem
and reunions
on the other side of the Jordan
are true.When Journey came on the jukebox
the bartender turned off the speakers
I felt like Odysseus sailing into the harbor of Ithaca
I ordered another Manny’s and left a large tip.There was a sound, and behold, a rattling and the bones came together, bone to bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was not breath in them.
Ezekiel 37:7-8
We buried our dog in a cardboard box
in the soft turf under the Hemlock tree
in our backyard next to the basketball hoop
When lightning struck the tree
the top came off and our dog stayed dead
our back door neighbor brought his chainsaw
cut it into firewood for the winter
My family never had a fireplace
which I guess is why
I never believed in Santa Clause
It didn’t matter much to me
I still got presents
I didn’t need a jolly elf
when I had a Mom who knew
which video games I liked
But I must admit
I was more than curious
and a little hopeful
about zombie dogs.My feet sank into
the bath-water-warm tide-pools
along the Burrard Inlet
as my mom and I walked
through August’s hottest day
Kids were out
collecting shells and flying kites
cargo ships sat anchored
with coastal mountains
rising behind them
My toes wiggled in the sand
“hallelujah.”Just dance
-Lady Gaga
Going swing dancing for the first time
is a time machine back to the 8th grade:
wondering how to talk to girls
what to do with eye contact
what the etiquette for interaction is
Only at 26,
more than just my palms get sweaty
anticipating the foreign and new social situations
filled with awkward stuttering,
feet stepping on feet,
asking strange women
to dance a dance I’m unfamiliar with
And the fear of failure,
of sitting in those chairs along the wall
after failing to get the rhythm right,
or leading my dance partner
into the another couple,
that fear is pants-wetttingly potent
My hope is that the conversations
had in those chairs
are more awkward and unpleasant
than the dances had out on the floor
offering me additional incentive,
and thereby courage,
to dance.You better run to the city of refuge
Rev. CJ Johnson
Tim had a dust mop
I had a broom
the couch was in the center of the room
the mouse was trapped
We held our weapons
like hockey sticks
our enemy shook in his hiding place
We counted down
1. . . 2. . .3
then shoved the couch across the room
the vermin ran to find new cover
my broom came down
smote the beast across the room
it slide till it hit a base board
then ran back under the couch
We repeated our plan
1. . .2. . .3. . .
this time
the mouse had a plan too
he darted out
straight over my shoe
ran to the corner
I lunged with my broom
to cut off the retreat
his end was near
but then
he took to the air
he leaped over my broom
in a Free Willy-esk moment
landing on our heating grate
only to disappear
back into the safety of our floors.we played catch
on an uneven field
hard with frost
covered by an inch
of old and crusted snow
concealing contours
which worried our ankles
we ran till we lost our breath
our cheeks were rosy
our hands stung
each time we caught
the cold slick ball
thrown in wobbly spirals
when we finished
condensation pumped from our lungs
we attempted to blow rings
while we hobbled back
to the house
for pizza and beer.My shivers
prayed for a warmer blanket
and a working thermostat
The coffee
eggs and bacon
were the only answers
I received
and I was thankful for them.
my uncle came over to baby sit
while my parents had a date night
my sister and I played in the family room down stairs
while our uncle watched the news in the living room
we stripped our couch
brought our pillows and blankets
down from our rooms
we built the biggest most complex fort ever
with rooms connected by couch cushion corridors
ceilings of Rainbow Bright and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle bed-sheets
we filled it with our stuffed animals
Wally the Walrus, three Carebears,
a brown bear missing an eye
the right ear encrusted with dried saliva
after filling the fort and
exploring every nook
we left our creation
ran upstairs
to ask our uncle to come down
and crawl inside with us
hoping he’d see more than a mess.
The truth is
if I had the choice
between taking
a human with the mind of a monkey
to prom
or a monkey with the mind of a human
I’d choose the former
This isn’t anything against monkeys with human minds
if the question was
which I’d want to do normal hangout stuff with
I’d choose the monkey
but prom is basically just a photo-shoot with dancing
and I’m not sure how the mechanics would work
as far as dancing with a monkey.The sun glared off a frost bitten lawn through my window
on the first day of the year, I didn’t sleep off my demons,
woke up early with cotton-mouth and a smile.
This year started in a sun-shine,
as pessimistic as I usually am
it’s hard not to see a good omen.
But people still die on sunny days,
especially cold ones with ice on the roads,
sun in driver’s eyes, and every one staring at the mountains
because it’s just such a beautiful day.
Posts
All Comments
