Grave Yard Shift (redux) -03/12/2010

.

I quit my day job.

The decision was made
with all the clichés
against good advice
and better judgment
throwing a career away
going to be a rock star poet
and it’s a long way to the top,
if you want earn even a tenth
of what you’d get on the dole.

I quit my day job
but kinda cheated,
‘cause I got a night job instead.

Sleeping while workaday jerks
work their days away
instead staying wide awake
plotting my next bold move
writing my next masterpiece
and biding my time,
by stealing office supplies.

Henry Rollins
would be proud of me

Even if Dad isn’t.

This is the grave yard shift
and each hour
now hangs heavy over head
while the whole world
wailed on just beyond
the office window.

The sun’s coming up on St Kilda
Shedding light on its screams and cries.

So with a quiet smile
with foggy eyes in half light
with a craft knife
with the last album cover
now cut out
leaving the faintest of scars
as lines carved
across this work desk’s
dead of night.

I had a moment.

A
I-know-I-was-meant-to-be-doing-this
type of moment
transcendent
when life looks
like a zoom-pulled
close-up shot
tight in-focus
and well framed
picture yourself
perfectly composed
and right where
you want to be.

I'm making CDs of poetry
each one like a promise
on the last hour
of the last shift
before the next trip,
the new tour begins.

I quit my day job

Made poetry my main job
giving it that position
knowing it was the correct decision
that as long
as there is art to make
it's a given
this was the right choice
grave yard shifted


In a life worth living.





________________________



This was the opener for our show 'Smarty & Randall Are Taking You For A Ride'

and yeah, like it or not, I 'm sitting at work right now typing this up.






-Peace






.