You Never Know

You Never Know
By: James Dubeau

You never know
What this world
Has in store
From one day
To the next

This day started
Just like any other
Minor aches and pains
Bitching about work
One job
Then the next

But yet
When the day was almost over
It all no longer mattered
For all of life
And all the realities
Came striking down
When I got the call
From my good friend
That my good friend
His wife
Was dead

Laundered Words

Laundered Words
By: James Dubeau

I see you
Sitting there
Mounded
Spilling over the edges
Of your basket
Waiting to be worked on
Waiting to be finished
Waiting to be cleaned up
Waiting
Waiting
Waiting
Until I have a free moment
Enough time to spend
Dealing with you
After work
Or on the weekend
When no one else is around
And nothing better is going on
Other than sitting around
Drinking all the beer
Cleaning you up
Removing all the stains
Making you presentable
To show off in public
Too bad
No one will even notice
The hard work
It took
To clean you up
To straighten you out
To make you
Presentable

First Day

First Day
By: James Dubeau

What can I say on this fine day
When I’m sitting around with anxieties abound
My heart beats faster with fears I can’t master
This new job so far away from Bob
But I think I can for I am the man
Who has the gall to conquer all
Weather it be a new job or activity or raising a new kitty
Or so I keep saying to keep it from weighing
Carving out a hole deep upon my soul
These few words aren’t just for the birds
But to keep an even keep I must expound how I feel
Say good bye and let these butterflies fly

Is It Just Me

Is It Just Me
By: James Dubeau

Is it just me
Or does it just suck
When you wake up
Expecting a day off
When in return
All that you get
Is one phone call
A dirty
Little
Phone call
That asks
No
Demands
That on the day off
The day for relaxing
The day for production
The day for errands
That work beckons

Lying In Bed

Lying In Bed

By: James Dubeau

Lying in bed

Nothing is said

For I am one

Tired

Road dog

Eyes are red

Heavy with sleep

But my work isn’t done

As I lay here

Pondering about sleep

And dreading the day to come

Unfinished work begins to eek out

From these weary fingers

Something has gotta give

And with a little luck

A muse’s call is answered

It may just be a little something

For tonight

But I’ll take what I can get

And that is all I need

To fall asleep

Happy

As I Sit Here

As I Sit Here
By: James Dubeau

As I sit here
Eyes heavy with sleep
Fingers ache
Neck cracks
Pride wells up
While I sip my whiskey
Black splatters against white
Underscored by red and green
Goals are within sight
Hovering above
Just out of reach
Bouncing from my fingers
But not quite there
Not quite mine
No matter how hard I try
It remains out of reach
More effort is required
And maybe
Just maybe
Another glass

Another Day Tomorrow

Another Day Tomorrow
By: James Dubeau

Window wide open
As the cricks chirp below
While the moon rises
Fully above the tree line
Another day is over
Sweat, blood, and tears
Shed throughout
On one thing to look forward to
When start twinkle above
Another day tomorrow
As grueling as the last

Long Days Longer Nights

Long Days Longer Nights
By: James Dubeau

Long days
Longer nights
This is the time
In which we live
Work to do all day long
From sun up
To sun down
And then a bit more
Even today
On a lovely Saturday night
My bed beckons me
For in the morning
Before normally at work
I’m expected to be on the job
For what is needed
Must be completed
Before the day is done

Terror Starts At Home

Eyes open wide
Can’t move a muscle
Alarm clock blaring in my ear
I do not want to start my day
I can not start my day
Traffic will be tight
Boss will be angry
Work will pile up on my desk
Over worked
Under paid
Over stressed
Under appreciated
The day ahead frightens me
It is full of the crap that I can’t put up with
That I won’t put up with
That I wouldn’t put up with
In a perfect world
Where I didn’t have to go to work
And take care of my responsibilities

Broken Window

The primary windows were of the double hung style, vinyl clad, double pained with storm windows. There were visible indications of moisture on some of the window frames. The bottom weather stripping adhesive had come loose. It was noted that one of the basement windows was cracked. The windows were functional at the time of inspection. There were no major defects in the window system.

Burning Grease For a Brighter Future

“No matter how bad of a cook you are eggs always taste the same.” Hank had read that once, and now was beginning to believe it.

His bloodshot eyes strained to stay open as he cracked open a pair of eggs. Orders for the two egg special had been coming through all night. It had become a local favorite for the after bar crowd. Drunks flocked to the greasy eggs and coffee en masse. The eggs worked their magic on the alcohol. At least long enough for a person to make it home with one eye closed.

Between order Hank stole glances at a text book splayed open under the counter, reading and re-reading the same passages over and over again. The words blurred together, moving in and out of focus. His exhausted mind couldn’t grasp the concepts of the new age economy in a post modern society any more then it could grasp the concept of fire being hot.

I am Mentally Exhausted

work, school, school, work
leaves time for myself
always on the go
never a moment to think
mind always racing
no time for sleep
sleep is for the weak
been going strong for months
full day of work
full day of school
all in the same day

Now, here I am
With a spare free moment
Blank computer screen in front of me
Unable to write
I am mentally exhausted