Respect

 

When I was a boy and people asked me

what do you want to be when you grow up

I said a garbage man because I thought

it would be fun to ride around town

hanging off the truck by one hand

like a pirate, picking up treasure.

 

Today I would be told to clean up my act,

say garbage person, or better yet,

sanitary engineer.

 

But why should I, who suffered years

of calculus, have to share 

engineer

with a garbage person?

 

Because we all deserve a little

respect, damn it, that’s why.

 

So screw it, I’m calling myself 

poet. 

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