The Mirror Tires of Looking at Itself
by Bill Yarrow
We are all essays, some poorly written,
some sparkling prose. The best of us
has a thesis, a goal which organizes
our lives. We prove our claims
as we go. Transitions are our friends.
We move toward conclusion, but others
will have the final word. In heaven, we get
edited. We are read by those we leave behind.
Sure, to a teacher, life is a term paper
but what would life be to a druggist?
Surely, he'd have other ideas. What about
a dry cleaner? A barista? The safety inspector?
Resort concierge? Auto mechanic? Hedge-fund
manager? Discrimination attorney? The golf pro?
Have you asked the butcher's daughter?
Have you approached the neighborhood fellatrice?
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Author's Note
This poem was published in The Brown Boat.
epigraph:
“No man forgets his original trade: the rights of nations and of kings sink into questions of grammar, if grammarians discuss them.”
—Samuel Johnson
This poem appears in "Against Prompts."
https://www.amazon.com/Against-Prompts-Bill-Yarrow/dp/1943170282
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This is one of my favorites out of all of your work. Easily.*
Hope I'm not a short story. *
So well done, with authority and a wink.
This is really good.*
Droll. Droll is good.
Oh my, Bill. Stanza two is a hammer to the head.
The sad but perfect truth: "We move toward conclusion, but others / will have the final word." Great read.
Samuel Johnson was to the universe as cheesecloth to mozzarella, a messy but necessary step.
Well done, sir! *
Good thing I'm online, or I'd hafta struggle with the unabridged to find fellatrice. *
Ah, a new word to tuck away for future use and a super ending.
*
The room without living beings in it is reflected in the mirror. I enjoy this poem very much and all the ideas it invites. *
humanity is nice, I watch it in the park, licking a melting ice cream cone.
*
Muchas gracias a todos: Amanda, Jake, Darryl, Chris, Gary, Sam, JLD, Matthew, Charlotte, Ann, and Bud!
* My mind bounced all over the damn place! Wonderful.
Thanks, Nonnie!
I'm connecting with this particularly this morning as I'm heading to class to talk to a group of young scientifically-minded students about their unreadable essays...thanks for this!
Hey, Marcus! For what it's worth, we are what we do. Thanks for dropping in!
I like the word choice "approached," among a plethora of other things. *
Thanks, Beate!