rad poetry #22: for james haug

RAD POETRY THANKS JAMES HAUG AND PUBLIC DOMAIN FILMS!



THE WORLD IS NOT AN ARGUMENT

for James Haug

The world's not an argument
The world's not a hair salon
(Where) you're not allowed to bring your dog
Even if you're blind

The world's not an argument
The world's not a tennis match
Gray hairs in your mustache
You shave one at a time

And I'd like to say the world / is a rowboat full of apples
Drifting toward some island / that doesn't have a shore
And I'd like to say the world / is under the lid of a Snapple
A quip thought up by copywriters / on the umpteenth millionth floor

But the world is the world
And I'm sleeping near the door
The world is the world
And I'm sleeping near the door

The world's not an argument
The world's not a county fair
Pillow stuffed with horses' hair
That the store will not take back

The world's not an argument
The world's not a bowling league
The world's not a guy named Steve
At the pool swimming laps

And I'd like to say the world / is a joke about a ghost
Delivered by your murderer / who's funnier than most
And I'd like to say the world / is a coupon for some cheese
A kind that no one's heard of / and snow chokes all the trees

But the world is the world
And I want better dreams
The world is the world
And I want better dreams