they drive beamers, porsches and hummers
up Northumberland to the golf course
they don’t stop for working men
doesn’t matter the weight they carry
or that it’s ninety degrees outside
they see a workman, they speed up
I have twenty boxes of books
to drop at the local library
nothing exciting, but cheap
and saleable. the guy whose
about my age is excited
all the boxes are uniform
they’ll fit in storage easily
I bring the last dolly full
he says, do you think there
are any part time jobs open?
I laugh, I am the part time job
as if keeping your job
is now a blood sport
he answers back, you’re bigger than me
you can keep the job
I walk to the van he says
funny isn’t it, all there is is
part time work. I laugh
I have four part time jobs
I juggle. He looks at me
do you think we’ll make it to seventy?
I answer quickly, fuck no!
it’s always hard not to swear
I say, pardon me if that’s harsh
but fuck no. he laughs, says
if I wasn’t working, I’d say the same damn thing
--Jason Baldinger
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