Your Shoe Untied

a poem by William P. Meyers

"Your shoe untied, and everything about you
Demonstrating a careless desolation."*
Oh sunk, dashed upon the secret reefs
Sad mariner, cargo gone to flotsam
Blown off course, or foolishly captained,
Head above water, but little else.

Best by lusts, rages, fears and fancies
We wander about our prisons,
Trading goods with other natives
Masks for knives, ivory for brass,
Children for sweet relief
From the lashing whips
Of the Great Powers.

The sky is cloudy. Somewhere above
Are Polaris and Sagittarius and Hercules,
Brother and sister starts out to eternity.
When clouds rule, confusion reigns.
We can stand still, or wander
Driven by hunger, desire, or boredom,
Perhaps finding a friendly beacon
Perhaps falling into the Pit.

Careless desolation does not become you.
Tie your shoes, at least.
Step out
Have a cup of caffeine, look about
Find a band or a juke box
Set your rod up with hook, line and sinker
The sea is vast and calm, now,
Filled with creatures common and strange
That might warm the stomach
Or rekindle the heart.

*William Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act III Sc. II lines 398-400

Copyright 2014 by William P. Meyers, all rights reserved