Mr. Fred's Poetry Corner: My Life Is Good

It’s been hot,
I’m cool,
I sleep with the fan,
Today, 95 degrees, Fahrenheit,
Accu-Weather Real Feel, 109,
But I’m down,
I’m comfortable,
It’s not cold, after all.


Each morning,
I offer my little gift to the sewers,
With very little prompting,
Two cups of coffee,
A bowl of Corn Flakes,
And a cigarette.


I feel good,
Almost nothing hurts,
That’s pretty good, at my age,
One shoulder,
A couple of corns on my feet,
I’m aware of my good fortune.


I have plenty to do, a job,
Plenty to read,
Lots of stuff to watch,
Very interesting, some of it,
In languages that I don’t understand,
But the stories are simple,
I make sure of that.


I have ideas,
I write them up,
I’m satisfied with a lot of it,
That’s a real blessing,
Feeling productive,
Maybe some day someone will read some of it.


I’m very lucky,
I have friends,
A family who love me,
All over, all over the place,
Ohio, New York, Italy, California,
Poland, Arizona, Jersey, New Mexico,
Oregon, Holland, maybe,
I think of them all,
They think of me too,
I’m pretty sure.


I sleep very well,
And quite a bit,
Maybe too much,
Age and the anti-depressants, probably,
And I dream, in fact,
I am a champion dreamer,
That’s where I’m happiest,
Even in the nightmares, I know that they’re only dreams,
I feel so blessed,
Not everyone dreams, you know,
So I’m pretty lucky.


April 20, 2008