An Abdication of Sorts

You may take down the flag

That lists, threadbare, upon your belly

And disallow my occupation of your skin and spine

But never forget you have been mapped

Inhabited

Written

Sung

Beaten, civilized

And yes, exploited – but

Loved. Always loved.

My kitchen window view in haiku

Birches quake and

Shake their manes –

Big-haired sassy divas.

I can't write anything but To Do lists anymore

I try to focus. First to gather, and then to ready, steady,

Aim

And hurl the thousands of black shapes that flit and flicker about in my brain into the restful white where they belong.

But writing requires two key ingredients: ample idle time and more than a little self-absorption. I work 70-80 hours a week lately, so I'm fresh out of both.

Even now I can't stop my letters, morphemes, words, phrases, sentences from forming To Do lists long enough to compose something less banal.

So I give up. Here's my To Do list for the work week:

1. Teach students the difference between the words thesis and feces.  They keep getting them confused for some reason, and I'm tired of the giggling when I tell Tommy that his thesis is solid or when I tell Mary to keep pushing for a stronger one.

2. Remind students that while the word "fuck" may be modified to serve as any of the eight parts of speech, one may not do the same with any other word. Rules are rules, kids. But I admire your creativity.

3. Review spelling with the sophomores:

• Text should not be spelled txt
• IDK is not an acceptable answer on a quiz
• Although we have a delightful student named Luv in the class, the word is still love. Also remind Vawdka's parents to (a) never name another child after an alcoholic beverage, even if it played a vital role in the child's conception, and (b) if they insist, to at least check the label for proper spelling first.
• Spell-check is not full-proof: without thorough proofreading, public relations may inadvertently become pubic relations, as it did on a recent paper I graded.

4. Praise students more.

5. Scowl less.

6. Remember that you, too, once insisted on using a heart in place of a dot on your "i"s.

7. Manage your time so you can write more. You're happier when you write.