Real Life; For The Rest Of My Days by Jeffrey Zable

REAL LIFE

Of course, it’s enough to keep living and not succumb to one’s thoughts.

I can forgive myself for almost everything except for wasting

so much time memorizing license plates and spending complete days

in my pajamas watching reruns of shows in which most of the actors

are now gone in real life.

Speaking of which, it seems that there’s no such thing as real life

except for what the cameras have concocted for me to see…

FOR THE REST OF MY DAYS

If I’d known that human life was going to be this bleak,

I would have brought an umbrella.

I would have purchased an extra toothbrush and the newest

edition of “Pollyanna.”

I would have grinned and bore it, and sung the lyrics

to “One Meat Ball,” which was a favorite from childhood.

And if it helped me to forget, I would’ve kept on singing it

for the rest of my days. . .