box of jars

david brennan
Self Reproof
There are people you are happy just knowing they're alive.
This is how we survive, since we can't die.

You don't gain weight because you talk too much,
David, just like a skinny donkey always braying. 

I was never satisfied with a bed for sleep and food for the table.
You told me your children become your enemies.

You are the biggest idiot on this earth.
I already have enough people at my throat. 

Would I be happy knowing my child lived, even if
I never saw her infant limbs or put her to bed with a story? 

There is not enough toothpaste on this planet
to remove the heat from that burn.  

The missing—if you just pretend that you have
moved on, does it let you?