Not Calculable
by Bud Smith
sorry I crushed things
sorry I ate the cake and ate the crate the eggs came in
sorry I devoured the ingredient list
we will never make a cake like that again
big apologies for the locked door
but you knocked too soft
big apologies for the last sip
the last word, the lost love
your hair clogging up the sink
you're in debt
but not to me.
sorry your college degree was left out in the rain
and the mice gathered the dried up pieces
when the puddles were sucked back into the needy ground
word came in: everybody needs a nest in the shape
of plentiful impracticable dreams
woke up one day and saw the world was a mess
I did nothing about it, poured myself some apple juice
sorry I love to hear you sing off-key when you're angry
sorry I want to die on cable TV or not at all
sorry for the cracked moon, worthless saves
pitiful times, big apologies
big apologies
for pulling your hair while we fucked
and you got so mad you slapped me in the nuts
feel bad that your award got pulled apart
by the car crushing robot
feel bad for getting sick all over your finest work
I am human and my errors
are incalculable.
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Bud, you have tackled "the hardest word" and pinned it good. *
A fine sad apology.
Great poem. "*"
The anaphora is a great fit for this piece. Wonderful sound. Strong poem, Bud. Effective piece. *
One of your best.*
Top notch. *
I'm sorry this poem is not longer.
*
Great. So, so great. *
Masterful and so very Bud. The "voice" is especially powerful in this poem. *
Yep, one of your best.*
Mine either, Bud, mine either.*
* comments on the Night Owl Cafe.
Good shit man!
These ARE my favorite lines:
woke up one day and saw the world was a mess
I did nothing about it, poured myself some apple juice
*, Bud. This gets better every time I read it.
thanks everybody. Much respect.
Read this in the voice of Everyman and it sounded so correct I wanted to hide.
Wow Bud! This is really great. I like it so much. The endlessly expanding boundaries of guilt, given a form here. Sometimes all you can do is drink some juice... :)
*