A poem for the sanitarian

A poem for the sanitarian
“Get this shit off the streets and the curb,”
he screamed at me who replied from the sidewalk,
“I’ve walked no street sordid as the language just heard.”

A poem for the Algerian

A poem for the Algerian
I asked an Algerian, “Did you know Horatio?”
He said, “I know that Hispanics, like I, succeed
far less than you.” I cried for that sad ratio.

A poem for the veterinarian

A poem for the veterinarian
“I found this beat-up, feathered chick,”
I said. “She nodded a lot, smiled sometimes,
But now her heart won’t tick.”

A poem for the humanitarian

A poem for the humanitarian
I hurt, I bleed, I want you.
I gave up dreams, you gave up me
I threw out thoughts and I-ought-to’s

A poem for the Librarian

A poem for the Librarian
"Can I have this book, for a while?"
I asked the horn-rimmed glasses.
"Yes." She took the Dewey Decimal file.

A poem for the grammarian:

A poem for the grammarian:
"Why are you subjective?" they all ask me,
I say, "Maybe it is because I is alone.
I doesn't rhyme with 'she,' 'he,' or 'we.' "

Poem for the b-sides

Poems for the b-sides
Sad spoken, and soft faced,
drip drop, candle light and icicle frost,
—thoughts better when erased