poem of the day 08.26.09

dear mom

no, i’m not dead
i simply did not go online yesterday
so i didn’t see the two emails
that you sent.
and i don’t bring the phone out
with me, so i didn’t get
the two frantic messages that you left.
but mom i’m not dead
although it’s kind of you to worry.
i went to the museum
if you must know.
i talked cubism with braque and picasso
and hung around the hookers with van gogh.
i didn’t slip and fall in the shower
like you thought.
shower? it’s not even thursday yet.
and i didn’t commit suicide
like your neighbor’s daughter’s boyfriend did
in florida
maybe i would if i had to live in florida
so i’m not dead mom
but i did sleep in rauschenberg’s bed
and ran around in masks with ensor
i laughed at the audacity of warhol
and threw darts with jasper johns
i wondered where basquiat was
i bought a postcard of the three musicians
i got drunk on beer and wine with ally
in the grassroots tavern
but i didn’t die yesterday.
no one mugged me at gunpoint
or stuck in knife in my chest.
no air conditioning units fell on my head
and the oven didn’t blow up.
new york city isn’t an episode
of law and order
all of the time
so please turn off the tv and stop worrying.
learn how to forget this modern world,
mother,
where everyone can be reached in one click.
where if you’re in london or paris these days
you might as well be sitting at home.
just know that some of us like
to be left alone on our days off.
i know that you might not be
one of those types of people
but i am.
so just remember that i’m not dead,
mom.
i went to the art museum
and saw a few friends that i hadn’t seen
in a long while.
and i hope everything is fine your way.
sorry that mitchell and carol
are getting a divorce
and that it’s so hot and muggy
in pittsburgh
i’ll give you a call next weekend, okay?
sunday evening
same bat time.
same bat channel.