I never sacrificed my family for the office
I was smarter than the rest
Until the night
I sacrificed my family for the office
They forgave me but the guilt and shame still gnaws
I was better than all the management books
I was better than Who Moved My Cheese
Wasn’t I?
Until Malcolm and his fucking demands overwhelmed me
And all the balance I’d achieved evaporated
Like spilled water in Death Valley or on Mercury
I never read metaphor books but probably should have
I never found ways to apologize
And now I just drink, here on the bench, in our backyard
Waiting for the missus and the mistakes, I mean kids, to settle in
The only sacrificing I’m doing tonight is my liver, ya get me
I don’t know that I can face the demon again
The asshole Malcolm who often smells of talcum
Believe me, I couldn’t make that up
Too many brains cells have died in the making of this poem as it is
Indulge me this long goodbye
Because I really need to stop writing
The pen is heavy now, the spirit dulled and dulling
If you see “penis” in “pen is,” then Freud was right and we’re all fucked
