which is not to say
our street is all winter quiet
and solemn contemplation
Next door to Evelyn’s house
lives a family with busy kids
and a big friendly dog
They are a family at the stage called
Do It All.
There are sports watched and played
careers and committees, a great deal of hunting
sledding kayaking swimming and taking doors
on and off and back on a jeep
to accommodate more sports equipment
In their front yard, a blowup Santa
with an attached blowup dog
in honor of the real,
much bigger and more biddable dog.
Blowup Santa and his dog are not
Biddable.
The two of them spent most of December
deflated and flapping in the wind but
Today they are posed
in their second favorite position:
blowup dog with his head
buried in blowup Santa’s crotch.
Santa’s expression never changes
Which demonstrates either
You can get used to anything
Or
You’d better get used to this
if you’re going to have a dog
Or
Every single day offers up
Comic Relief if you only
teach yourself where to look
while you drink your coffee.
Puff Of Smoke Poems 