"Universal health care is too expensive,"
explains the fully insured bureaucrat
while his constituents fight to make ends meet

"here, have some more money,"
offers the slick, teflon-coated lobbyist,
best friend of the health-care industry

Obviously the twain have met

little blinking lights, yellow and round,
fight to keep up with the incessant
whirring of the tape drive

the old unit, yesterday's model,
wearing it's rolled up power cord like a crown,
waits patiently in the senior center under the desk

Eventually, the whirring will stop, and the two will rock side by side

humming fans and clicking keys echo
like colliding tumbleweeds through the
desolated dessert of the computer lab

"Leading the AL in RBIs" squawks the
dingy, white speaker in squeaky stereo
"Best ERA in the majors," it offers a short time later

Watching computers, not have problems, is boring

bound although innocent, the network cable
waits patiently, ready to pounce on any
unsuspecting, incoming internet traffic

cursing the plethora of refrigerator decorations,
the critical back-up tape peers nervously
around the hectic office space

Neither servers, both serve up their data

the candy bar snickers at the can of soda
the can of soda, keeping tab, waits for its
chance to crush the bar of candy

suddenly, a pill bottle pulls out a tablet to
write a prescription but rolls off in disgust
after spilling acetycylic acid on its shirt

Trying to choose a snack gives me a headache

a square pad of paper, red glue on one end,
hides under its sheet and glares at the
yellow post it note.

sporting a fingerprint tattoo,
a black and white BIC pen clics its
stic while it waits for work.

Paper and pen make their mark together

Fireflies flutter, and lightning sputters
around midnight
as sweet dreams glide effortlessly
into my brain.

Passion's a river and my innards quiver
without a sound
while fantasy and reality switch sides
and board my plane.

My uvula twitches, and my viewpoint switches
from dark to light
as buried longings, once lethargic
prepare to soar.

Caution's neglected, and safety's rejected
upon the ground
while delicious morsels, poetic in nature
finally begin to pour.