What of the Life You Supposed?
By David Plumb
The moon comes up to remind
you of timeless journeys
giant leaps, promises of more
a screen door in Albuquerque
the motel porch in Kingman
shadows, endless voices
picnics on mountains with no names
But the road doesn’t always smooth out
no matter the shocks on the limo
the view, the catch of the day
Sometimes, you wonder where
Susan went, or Elmer
You suppose he’s still at OTB
in Troy or Albany
Wife perfect as they get
No qualms unless you
can’t get over yourself
Life chugs along, a breath
at a time, and rolls over
the same bumps
you sometimes like to avoid
simply reflect upon or
go mad, tear up the lawn
get on the roof and bark
set the house on fire
or crack jokes on the phone
with an old friend who knows
Three-nineteen A.M. snaps you awake
but you’re smart enough
to keep some change
pasted in the right side
of your brain and two cups
of coffee at dawn, a little silence
Don’t want to talk
because soon, say thirty-eight
minutes or so, you’ll feel
life take hold and settle in
David Plumb’s recent book is, Poetry on Strings with marionette maker, Pablo Cano. Writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Miami Herald, New College Review, Homeless Not Helpless Anthology, St. Martin’s Anthology, Monde James Dean, 100 Poets Against the War, Salt Press, UK and his weekly blog, Notes from a Wavering Planet Will Rogers said, “Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip.” David Plumb says, “It depends on the parrot.”
Editor’s Note: Also see the article in “Cultural Corner” this month about the Palm Beach Poetry Festival, which David Plumb participated in.