poem of the day 03.28.09

something’s not right

the morning dj plays
nothing but marches
in the cold morning
the editor has lost 50 copies
of my book in the mail
my cat’s teeth hurt
i keep waking up in the night
thinking i’m having
a heart attack
the trains are running on time
more gray hairs are coming in
my face and ears
are always flushed
the machine keeps making
this horrid hum
i’ve cut down on drinking
in the evening
i feel like i’m living at work
again, i’m contemplating
becoming a vegetarian
for my health
and because i like animals
the baseball season is starting late
yesterday, i couldn’t recognize
myself in a crowded room
and i can’t get the new poetry
manuscript together
the taxman won’t give me my money
they are coming to the job
on thursday to talk to us about
the fiscal crisis
yesterday i smiled at a stranger
and almost offered to carry a
car battery for a small chinese woman
struggling along 4th avenue
i don’t feel antagonistic
i’m talking more at work
i quit reading on my lunch hour
i channel surf
last saturday night i bought somebody a beer
and to top it all off
this is the best poem i’ve written
in a week.