Written when we use to get paychecks
I
It’s payday.
So, you all go out to eat
at a fast-food place.
The girl at the counter
impatiently grasp her calculating register,
while you find out what the wife wants
& what your son & daughter should get.
II
Your mind works silently
assembling the items
in an orderly fashion.
“May I help you, sir?,”
breaks your train of thought;
but you mumble out the order, anyway.
Hurried, confused, & unsure of what you got,
you carry the tray to the table
III
Your son is perched on the windowsill.
Your wife shouts out, “Here comes daddy —
better be good now.”
While your daughter struggles in vain
to escape the undeserved prison
of the high chair’s re straining straps.
You pass out the paper parcels
& your daughter deftly opens
her milk shake
defiantly pouring it over
her chin, dress, & legs
all at once.
IV
“Move”, you say for the 5th time
to your son, who seems to be
constantly grabbing for you,
while your wife continues
about all the wonderful items
she has seen for sale in
the occupant mail.
V
As you prepare to leave,
four or five adolescents come in.
They are pushing, joking,
& acting tough.
You hope to avoid
confronting them
& rush your family
through their meal.
VI
You rapidly gather & throw away
anything unsalvageable.
Clean & release your daughter,
& head towards the exit.
“Sir, sir”, you hear a young voice call;
but you dare not turn around.
Grabbing your family,
you hurry them into the car.
Never really hearing clearly,
what the youth is shouting about.
VII
Driving off,
you look in your mirror
& see the boy waving
a familiar looking blue object
wildly over his head.
Then, you stop the car,
look for your jacket,
realize you forgot it,
& it has your pay check in its pocket.
Thanks for reading. In 1981, I self published a small collection of poems “Beginnings My First Picture Book”. I did it on a portable typewriter and had the pages copied and stapled at Quick Copies. It was $125 for 100 copies.
