Today's poem is by Joseph Geskey

A Half-Century of American Experience
       

Weddings, funerals, and the rare promotion.
The uncomfortableness of a formal shirt
Further constricting a tightly collared life.

Thankful for switching to bi-weekly paychecks,
Reducing the stress of making family payroll
Twenty-six times a year instead of fifty-two.

Winter vacation and a week at the beach,
Grateful for the solace of personal electronic devices,
Cessation of backseat attacks across a sibling's borders.

Breadcrumbs of convenience for aging grandparents,
Remote connection in place of frequent visits.
The need to make a living away from unconditional love.

Still remembering the old prayers at weddings and funerals
Pulling them out like scrap pieces of paper
From your pocket the last time you wore a suit.

The evolution of the size of the strike zone
Despite the clear language of the rule book,
No better metaphor for how the game has changed.

The paradox of empiric-based medical care:
The prominence of the clergy administering
Multiple last rites during the prolonged years of decline.

School bus trips driving through rich neighborhoods
Teaching this affluence could be yours if you work hard,
Passing billboards displaying how large the lottery jackpot is.

Copyright © 2025 Joseph Geskey All rights reserved
from Alms for the Ravens
Main Street Rag Publishing Company
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission