the man in the bright
neon vest with his electric
leaf blower does his best
sisyphus imitation as
the trees all around him
let loose a blizzard of
yellow leaves with every
wrrant breeze and passing
vehicle to fall where he
ineffectually has just
aimed his plastic armament
of detritus displacement

there is a lesson in his
futility but i refuse to
admit how closely it mirrors
my own journey downtown or
how i would gladly take his
neon vest and leaf blower
put in some headphones and
listen to music as the trees
shit on my not so hard work
exchanging one boulder with
all too familiar facets for
a new boulder that’ll soon
enough be worn much the same

six of one or just another
half dozen of something else
from the weary faces filling
the one ways around me it
is apparent all the boulders
are made from the same tiny
pieces of gravel accumulated
over endless days doing the
things we must to keep this
facade of living somewhat
in line with the dreams we
watch wither on the branches
as we struggle to collect
enough to call it a success

i used to agree with the
definition of insanity being
doing the same thing over
and over and expecting some
different result but if that
were really true we all would
be mad as hatters at a tea
party as the mercury soaked
into our deficient brains
now i think the definition
of insanity is thinking that
anything we do makes any sort
of difference in a mostly
uncaring world of people who
cannot see past themselves

the trees watch us and laugh
at how we try so hard to
enact meaningful change when
they understand it is all
just a cyclical disaster from
season to season where the
only pleasure to be taken is
from the sunshine and the
rain and the idiots with
electric leaf blowers standing
in a blizzard of falling
yellow leaves shed in disdain
the folly of existence is
going through it without
accepting the madness of life
yellow leaves shed in disdain