Elementary
all the kids in their classes
sing the ABCs
happily
all the kids in their classes
get corrected
misspellings
then these kids in their classes
dont want to sing
the ABCs
smiling
as they get older
they’re taught to become humorless workers
because of a few
misspellings
Young Politicians
conceited self important blowhards’
eyes search across rooms
to find the right people to glad hand
and manipulate
they practice smiles
they practice handshakes
they give themselves pep talks
in front of the mirror
while they masturbate
after their morning shave.
they wipe an extra four times
just to be sure
no one can smell the fact
that they shit too.
they practice laughing
at stupid jokes
they will practice everything
they can
so they can lie to you.
they will make you feel important
until they find out where you work-
then they wont need you anymore
but they’ll keep sending you their mailings.
they’ll keep at their routine
because they are a machine
designed to keep winning.
Long Beach Pier
I.
i rode my bike
down the pier
and stared
at the ocean
and how far it went
and imagined
that when i spit
i was truly
a part of it
II.
blacks
filipinos
hispanics
whites
all were fishing off the pier
their own music
their own cliques
minding their own business
among the other fish
III.
we didn’t realize how fast
we were going
until we stopped talking
and noticed it
like Wil E. Coyote
falling off a cliff
About the author:
Andrew Hilbert lives, works and writes in Orange County, CA.
