David James
On Certain Days
for Marc Sheehan
Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right
—Thessalonians 3:13
the world crashes
& burns
& you burn with it.
everything you’ve done ends in a pile of ashes
& the wind
scatters you home. this is how you learn
to take nothing for granted.
some days the world slaps you
in the face and has no concern
for who you are or who you know.
you stand there & take it, no shred
of honor, no handful of hope.
there are even days when the world
wants nothing more than your head
on a platter, your body skinned
& quartered, hung from rope
tied to any bare tree.
so much is out of your control,
beyond the scope
of your sorrow.
some days, your dignity
lies in a warm bucket of shit.
but then, every once in a while,
the world stops, falls to its knees
& lets you win:
every pitch thrown, you hit
out of the park;
every bird sings your name;
every star in the dark sky, lit
& shining, smiles down on you
until your heart glows.
David James is the author of My Torn Dance Card (Fly Came Near It, 2015) and She Dances Like Mussolini (March Street Press, 2009), winner of the 2010 Next Generation Indie book award for poetry, as well as a number of chapbooks. Many of his one-act plays have been produced in cities across the country. He teaches writing and literature in the English department at Hope College in Holland, Michigan.
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