Casey Quinn, Snapshots of Life

drink my whiskey
while laying down
the law

a real, gritty,
down to earth,
no bull, straight shooting,
type of man

lead with actions
not words

stand up for
what is right

take the moral
high road

a man respected
and beloved
by all

yea,
i want to be
John Wayne

right after
i finish
my mocha latte

i’m going to my salon
and get my hair styled

get new denim clothes,
a big hat,
neckerchief
and cowboy boots.

i’m going to be
just like
him.

i talked
to my niece
today

i had not
seen her
in years

i told her

how tall she got,
how grown up she looked,
how smart she seemed.

she told me

how fat i got,
how old i look,
how dumb i am.

it’s really great
to catch up
with the family.

when asked
to paint
the world
through the eyes
of
a terrorist

the painter
began

detailing
homes and
people

office buildings
and airplanes

school buildings and
churches
the vision was
almost finished

the way
she thought
it ought
to be
and when the last
stroke was done

she stepped
away

and lit
the canvas on fire

to complete
the piece.

before
the internet
and computers
and video games

there were
movies
and television
and radio

and before
all of that

there was
a family

that just liked
to hang out

read books
and talk
to each other
about their
day.

streets of
mirrors

owners pay
guardians
to ensure each
meet
the standards

three bedrooms,
two baths

privacy fences are
not allowed

pools are,
only if
in ground

no one
can be different

nothing
too grand
or
too run down

we like it
this way.

less risk
of someone

standing out.

a broken mug
of memories

purchased before graduation
to remember the lessons of
those college years

used daily

in the cubed life where
spill stains remain
for the new occupier

brought home
in a cardboard box
when layoffs
hit the bank

and drank
every day since

during hours
of labored love
in a home office
where dreams
are still chased today

while the mug
is gone

the
drive
remains.