Wear that yoke and tote that bale
and when you get too old
we’ll send you checks in the mail
for being so good now and
doing what’s got to be done

So raise those kids and feed those faces
and make life easier and better for all concerned
Good work

Walking on the cliffs and gazing out to sea
Hands and knees to the edge watching birds fly beneath

These are troubled times
as all troubled times
good for watching hope
fade away

Old fears are being realized
Keep your eyes peeled it’s getting good
Good to see some of your things decay

Walking a world where sea birds fly
and waterfalls blow up in the ocean wind
Tiny flowers grip the cliff in every niche
where the birds nest and sleep

Oh the birds eyes close
and their heads and their beaks nod
Others awake ride the wind and watch the sea
Forever on the hunt for food

There was a time when people raised stones to the gods
built their own little earth on the crust of this
built temples and homes and fences and factories and parking lots
came wearing that yoke and toting that bale

and then getting old and getting checks in the mail
for being alive and for having done what perhaps had to be done
for having raised the kids and fed the faces
and made life better maybe for all concerned
maybe

 

 CONTACT / SUBSCRIBE
To be notified when new works arrive, sign up
for the every-month-or-so newsletter