All tooth, no wisdom
i wish i could take
a hammer to my face and
remove this damn tooth
I’ll be waiting with a bun and a sack of wrenches. I’ll be waiting with a pun and a crack of reptiles. I’ll be waiting with the runs and a slack of broken tiles. I’ll be waiting with some nuns and a rack of basketballs. I’ll be waiting with a ton and a lack of brisket rolls. I’ll be waiting with the sun and a back of stick bundles. I’ll be waiting with someone’s sons and a stack of bricks. I’ll be waiting with Atilla the Hun and a Zack of sizzle reels. I’ll be waiting with Marilyn Monroe and a track of xylophones. I’ll be waiting with no fun and a shack of silent phones.
20 Qs
What does one include in a personal rule package?
In what capacity will a rule improve one’s life?
Who created this particular rule?
What are the intentions of the rulemaker?
Who feels compelled to follow this rule?
Is the rule appropriate?
Is the rule written by the follower?
Which rules are ripe for abandonment?
Does the rule apply to some or all?
Does the rule-follower consider this rule followable?
What will occur after one chooses to not follow?
Does the follower expect others to obey their chosen rules?
What shall one do with non-followers?
What are the benefits of following this rule?
What are the detriments of following this rule?
What steps should one take to follow this rule?
Does following the rule elevate coexistence, peace, world-care, respect, humanity?
Does one adapt this rule?
Does one adopt this rule?
Are we burdening ourselves with too many rules?
one swim in the pool
two swims in the Andaman Sea–
the tropical sun echoes the Hudson River Valley light
after four days of being lifted by family and friends
now the newlyweds are supported by beaches and waves
anxiety is no one’s friend
certainly not mine
why he chooses to visit in June is beyond me
all should be well, and is
so why?
why does my brain conjure the worst
scenarios which are not and will not be
I encourage myself to be positive
make June joyful!
is my current goal and for the most part
I am succeeding
except when I don’t
when the ugliness rears and I need consolation
thankfully, it comes and I slowly conquer
proactivity certainly helps, so yay!
I march on, showing myself kindness, a rarity
tiny increments, I remind my brain
daylight brings some peace
When one fails to stop
at a redlight or stop sign,
it’s not okay.
No one was coming,
did I really need to stop,
I was late for work,
had to pick up the kids,
was meeting friends at a bar,
kids had soccer practice,
yes, there are many excuses
for stopional.
Does stop actually mean stop,
or have we transformed
stop into stoptional?
I had to go to the restroom,
no one was watching,
I had time to beat
the oncoming vehicle,
is it okay for stopional drivers
to risk hurting or killing
innocent people
because self-importance
has spiraled them
above the law.
When an indiviual
gets behind
the steering wheel,
why does one feel
that they have to be first,
or run faster
than the speed of sound?
I don’t like the
“Stoptional World,”
stop means stop
by any definition
of the word.
It’s way past time
for stopional
to “STOP,”
it’s not okay!
Finally, I indict
myself as well,
I too have been guilty,
but the safety
and well-being
of our community
are far more imporant
than arriving
five minutes faster.
No one in is safe
from the self-righteous, entitled bullies
of today—not even the dead
Melvil Dewey, born in 1851, died in 1931,
having been a founding member
of the American Library Association
and having created the
Dewey Decimal System
(how many hours I spent
as a child, sliding the drawers out,
flipping through cards, making
notes on paper, then setting out
on excited expeditions to find
books—thank you, Mr. Dewey)
was canceled in 2019
by that very American Library Association,
who decided to show how willingly they
bend the knee to the conformist mob,
by removing (posthumously, for these bullies
tend to be cowards—they mostly hide behind
gravestones and computer screens)
Dewey’s name from its top honor,
the fucking Melvil Dewey Medal,
and renaming it the Medal of Excellence,
which is ironic seeing as how they know nothing
of excellence or achievement–they know only
how to conform to the whining pressure
of unaccomplished busybodies like themselves–
their names will not be in history books,
unlike the name of
Melvil Dewey
Did Dewey have flaws? Did he do some
nasty things in his life?
Yes—but so did you, and so did I,
and so did everyone who ever lived,
and especially so did and so do these bullies,
who attacked Dewey, not to his face,
not only when he was down,
but when he was six feet down
Once haggard & thin,
her face clouded from the drugs,
she looks at you now
with the demon exorcised,
her eyes once again her own.
