wood-grain finish, extra varnish
tarnished button tipped to the right.
fighting urges surging through blue
undoing years of misdirection
unprotected table top dulled sits dusty
rusted nails protruding slightly
nightly visits from the drunken
stunk up pressboard with cigar and beer
nearly every inch a memory
chemistry to delivery
eating so many family meals
dealing cards and outlining plans
landing strip for wayward model airplanes
painfully, I carry it out to the burn pile
smiling slightly as a piece of history
mysteriously drifts away as smoke –