Category: Poetry

Oh It’s like a game.

The Teachers try to teach

     the meaning behind Arthur’s play

But it is cruel.

The Teachers know the rules.

We cannot be told until after school

But when the final bell has rung

We are gone and a new class has begun

     That cannot be told until after school.

So while in class we ponder the moral behind Arthur’s play

     So we can make our report and make an A.

Then after school has come

     And we are eager to get out and have our fun.

But no one is there to remind us that Arthur’s play has begun.

We get out and make our calls to impress the Boss

     And all the while Cliff’s notes sit at home.

Why do we not remember the moral of the play

     from day to day after school?

Then sometime when it is far too late

     Perhaps sitting in a bar being contemplative

We will think of Arthur’s play

     And recognize our after school fate.

Arthur tried to teach us early

     That we are all destined to play a role.

     And we shall all be Willy in his Play.

-DM 4/31/98

The video (4MB 1:14) is just me reading the following which in essence is just a list of words so you may just want to save your bandwidth. I suggest that you read column one first, then column two, then left to right all the way down. In the video it sounds like I wrote this in 1988 but it was actually 1998.

Normally I like to leave interpretation of any written piece to the reader, however, I think this probably stands to have some explanation otherwise I could just randomly pick words from a dictionary and call it art. Hmm.. Now that’s not a terrible thought!

The following are straight from the journal (6 years ago) with the exception of one that required edits (it’s a journal!) and the notes of course are from the present.

Writing — Things

The "things" I was writing were my journal entry and the poem itself

Thinking — Change

The thinking "change" was all that had gone on in my recent past from marriage to getting laid off to starting my own business.

Dreaming — Deranged

These were thoughts of an alternative path that I could have walked with no debt and unrealistic fantasy dreams. Regret of choices made, desires to change them and imagining how different things would be. Demented thoughts.

Blinking — Dazed

The dreaming-deranged overwhelmed me and I spaced out for a few. It felt great to momentarily be nowhere!

Pondering — Amazed

The stepping back into reality after resetting my fuse and realizing the significance of many of the choices I’d made in that recent (and far) past.

Wondering — Craze

The struggling I did with myself over whether or not I’d made good choices

Wandering — Maze

I would get lost in my own thoughts and sometimes could not escape myself. It would be like the walls closing in.

Listening — Beat

I simply took a second to enjoy the music Border’s was playing

Hoping — Reach

My mind wanted someone to help me

Praying — Seek

Expanding on the former..a more spiritual cry for help.

Delaying — Weak

Recognition that I create my own Hell through procrastination, my biggest weakness.

Straying — Lazy

My inclination (at the time) to give up (note: an odd statement because I often don’t quit even at my own expense.)

Crazy? — Crazy!

Am I losing it? Through my own actions – yes.(note: of course I did not lose it for another 2.5 years)