(no subject)

I Do What I Can

My wife says our children need help
being conceived, being born,
and I'm there for them, there for her.
My pleasure! I tell her.

But now that they're in the world,
our children need rides
to Tee Ball practice,
preschool, karate lessons.

They need rides but the driver
in front of me has needs too.
His car has died and he needs someone
to push. My pleasure, I tell him.

But now three people carrying a casket
need a fourth to help them. So I've become
a shoulder in a funeral procession.
But I've misunderstood. They don't need

someone to help carry the casket, they need
someone to crawl into the box and be
the dead body. My pleasure, I tell them.
So now I'm wearing this ridiculous

makeup, and the minister is talking
dust to dust, and they're parading by me,
all these women who used to be beautiful
wearing black hats, veils, and tears.



"I Do What I Can" by Tom C. Hunley, from Octopus. © Logan House, 2008.