12/22/2003

Not the end
of the world
but
the darkest day
of the year
he envied those
who found comfort
in
the cabaret life
and the dance hall
where everyone was
kicking up their heels
because
he was unable
to rest
for more than
a minute
now and then
the food
he had to get
to market
and into the stomachs
of those
who are hungry
before spoiling
an undertaking
possibly failing
those waiting
dying from malnutrition
eating from plates
heaped high with
rough stuff
a vanishing ability
to distinguish
something worth
sitting down
to table for
from what they have
convinced themselves
though
not to their taste
is good enough
for consumption.