The Early Years

I don’t want to say

things were indescribably

bad exactly

but things were

indescribably bad exactly

I don’t want to say the tide

went out and left him

gasping—a landed fish precisely

but the tide did indeed go out

and left him gaping—a dropped ghost

to make matters worse

god gathered up all of god’s things

and paddled out on that tide

so he swore he would die

and to make matters worser still

he rocked back and forth

in a bubble rather boggy and sad

ate nothing but thistles therein

I don’t want to pretend

things were very much worse

than they were

but they very much were