everything must go
BY Robert Lee Brewer
most of our weight is liquid; that should tell
enough about our needs. we shift our words
and drift from one island to another.
why bother awarding names to the dead
things we'll soon abandon? our bodies can't
remember our souls after they depart.
they'd rather insinuate they're more than
stars that explode back into the vacuum
of the universe, patient to create.
dozen fortune cookies
all good things must end. do not leave your house
without an umbrella. only you know
why it's a bad idea. count your blessings.
every downhill has an uphill. don't
do the math. forget shooting for the stars,
watch them instead. raise the living, bury
the dead. you will wake up tomorrow. are
you sure you're okay? even the trees need
room to grow. shave before making amends.
Robert Lee Brewer has four boys with his wife, the poet Tammy Foster Brewer (formerly Trendle). He edits books, blogs about poetry, and is nice to his mother. He can be contacted via e-mail at robertleebrewer@gmail.com.