It's Thursday, I'm Zonked. Grants are Submitted. Publications in Press Edited. And I Wrote a List Poem, So There's That & a Turkey On A Bench

Did I write that I was summoned for jury duty? Of course I was. This is the 5th time since living in CT, and I must be a good candidate. I got home at 10 pm last night after being in schools at 8 a.m., and I was like, "Really? Now you want to take me away from the work I do so I can sit in court for hours upon hours upon hours."

Gobble gobble gobble.

And on the bench outside the CWP office sat this Tom as I left one building to teach in another. He was noisy and wanted me to know that he was enjoying his seating arrangement. Par for the course. 

Ah, the turkey metaphor is all there is.

On Being Summoned to Jury Duty (Again)

I got the mail

after checking Twitter,

messaging mom,

texting teachers,

scrolling that book of faces,

& deleting Spam.

Yes, I remembered to order

the online parking pass

but neglected to suck up the dog-hair-

bunny-rabbit dust on the staircase.

(cough cough)

of course the chicken

is still raw

& the garden

needs harvesting

for salad).

Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!

Grading! Grading! Grading!

God, Oh, God,

Why did I just waste 35 minutes 

making a canine-clip

for Suzie Q’s hair. 

Woof. Woof.

=SUM (D4..D36)

accounting words

for writing projects

in hopes of 

resources for

teachers and schools

that excel.

Hit submit.

Acevedo,

I will clap 

when I finish your book,

promise,

but for now I landed

on jury duty

(again).

Folks aren’t dead,

just called, 

hoping rain

washes leaves

and mouse poop

from porch,

before Saturday’s 

nature-romp with 

Julian Weir, journals,

paintbrushes, easels, 

& ecological 

word-play. 

Prayers up 

for that baby deer,

last night

lying in the middle

of Black Rock Turnpike

paralyzed by

a BMW

hurrying 

somewhere.

nowhere.

everywhere.

(those eyes)

(the back legs)

Human beings suck.

Weather channel checked.

Storms coming

Fuck. 

Toenails 

need cutting.

Objection.

This Dutch boy 

needs his finger back.

I need to lose 

Covid-weight

by Friday