January 28, 2008

moving day

moving day
1/28/2008

a rumble and a grumble and around the corner crawls
a great big tractor trailer chewing tar and belching smog
with a screech of brakes and somber grunts it puffs, it huffs, it stalls
and it settles to the curb like an old wagon in a bog

the words upon its sides announce that it's a moving van
and I wonder with excitement who it is that's new in town--
a movie star named Lola or a garbage man named Stan
a psychotherahypnotist or possibly a clown

a tax accountant dreaming of becoming president
or a baseball player on his way to Hall of Fame election
or a churchgoer deciding what he might give up for Lent
or a Buddhist monk who only wants some peaceful, calm reflection

or a crazy lady thinking that the cops are out to get her
or a kindergarten teacher who bakes cookies on the weekend
or a teenager who wants to party but her dad won't let her
or a wise and kind old gentleman whose heart has somewhat weakened

but whoever owns the lot of stuff that's packed inside that truck,
I hope they have a couple kids who like to play outside
cuz for years in this dull neighborhood it's me who has been stuck
without a single other kid to run or chase or hide

and now they've opened up the back, and I can plainly see
an empty truck without a single lamp or couch or chair
and now my mom is saying that the one who's moving's... me!
and I wonder with excitement only one more question... WHERE?

One of my writing goals for 2008 is to write at least one light verse or poem every week in addition to my haiku wednesday and fiction friday posts. I will try to do this on Mondays.

2 comments:

Maria Dudley said...

Wow -- love the surprise ending! (All all the people images too.) Is the kind, wise gentleman Bill?

PJD said...

Yes, I had Bill in mind with the kind, old gentleman.