ONE
WAY
taunted by a traffic sign
black letters and arrow on a reflective white field
a half-inch border cut a
half-inch inside the signs edges
removed by someone from its station
laying flipped upside-down on the
side of the road that wasnt one way
he carried it home tucked in his
armpit and leaned it against the trunk of a failing black walnut in his yard
two years ago
he turned it on its side so its
arrow pointed to Hell
nobody liked his joke
they were put off
imagine that
didnt like tempting fate he supposed
but then maybe they were preoccupied with Hell
they encouraged him to flip its sides so the arrow pointed to Heaven
but then maybe they were preoccupied with Hell
they encouraged him to flip its sides so the arrow pointed to Heaven
he didnt like that joke
this morning having coffee on the
porch he stood looking into the backyard
he enjoyed the harping jays darting
hummingbirds and terminally-wistful wrens their hopping through narrow
branches thickets clinging to the grey weathered and tarred telephone pole electric
pole and dancing on top of planked fences pirouetting on picket slats
their busyness and complete oblivion of the sign at the foot of the walnut
their busyness and complete oblivion of the sign at the foot of the walnut
the sign now upright on its end
taunting him
ONE
WAY
the birds were one way
he liked the one way they were
atheists unbelievers like him
unworried jabbering steady assured
while the branches they clutched with their feet bobbed and moved on the breeze erratically
while the branches they clutched with their feet bobbed and moved on the breeze erratically
no rhyme rhythm dissonant
be-as-it-will
he looked again at its accusation
ONE
WAY
the sign had nothing to say
regarding traffic
1212, Day-between-Two-Ts, 17 8.
16
Nabakov Laughter in the Dark: Death is often the point of life’s joke
