1.

It’s a quiet morning,

a very quiet morning.

the usually cranky sparrows

are nowhere to be found and

the dogs are napping, but

the silence awakens them

and even then, with their

long snotty snouts pointing outward

and their ears as vigilant as Zulu

spear heads, they are silent.

2.

I stepped out for an ice cream cone

last night when a speeding car

on Essex Street nearly ran me down.

It was a close call.

I should follow my instincts

and stay put.

I haven’t had strawberry in

a long time, so

I had a hankerin’ for

a strawberry ice cream cone.

but in the end I chickened-out

and ordered chocolate, one scoop.

3.

walking home, I licked the sweet,

chocolate ice cream from its dark,

brown dome and then,

licked the dribbling ice cream

as it melted downward.

now tell me why

life is not worth living.