Advice For Aspiring Poets

Just because some poet wrote
That he picked up a bar of soap
And drew a castle in the mirror
Doesn't mean you have to, too.
And just because some poet wrote
That he spent all day driving
Around his parent's graves
Doesn't mean that you can't go
Shopping for shoes instead.
In fact, that poet who wrote that he saw
His cat licking out the waxy ears of his dog
Probably never did in the first place,
So it's OK if what you see
And do isn't extraordinary.
In fact, the less extraordinary the better.
That gives your brain more room
To make stuff up.

The Lamp

On the side of the road that leads past my dwelling,
There is a lamp that turns on each time you pass it.
How many arguments has it solved, I wonder.
How many internal conflicts have been quelched
At the passing of such a lamp?
Tonight, I was asking myself about the existence of God
Just as I passed the lamp.
"What are you? Do you exist?" I said aloud.
The light flicked on, and though it
Could really only prove to me my own existence,
The moment itself was singularly divine.

Appreciating the Little Things

Standing in the middle of a highway onramp
At two in the afternoon,
A man is tearing at his clothing
And shouting at the passing cars: "Wake up!"
He himself is on the verge of an awakening.
He'll find that no one is asleep,
At least not completely.
They're just distracted by so many things.
This poor man will soon learn
To appreciate good, comfortable clothes,
The pleasant sound of a newsman talking on a radio
And the way his toes feel cozy
After removing his sweaty socks.
He will learn, or he will be taken to a place
Where he can be taught.