Being the union guy at Spinoza HS
created a morsel of interest to the day
like when Darwin Dix showed up
his hair a bunch of purple spikes
a good ten inches off his skull
held upright by some fancy gel
from Italy I never heard of.
Chairperson Linda wrote him up
declaring his appearance demented
thus hindering the children’s education.
“A poet don’t play by your rules, ”
I informed her, knowing the union had
gone to court on this one:
No dress codes for teachers.
Darwin wrote a poem in my honor:
The Real Big Boss of the Universe
sent it off,
and was immediately accepted by two magazines
The Infinite Green Frog and Punctured Flesh
thus granting me fame, albeit minuscule
as both only had a combined circulation
somewhere near 48 souls
the exact number not definitively known
but the smile on Darwin’s face
as he handed me a copy of each
spoke volumes about
the true nature of happiness.
Of course I immediately asked
for his autograph on the cover
which he did saying,
“After all these years of despair
finally getting known.”
Then added, his voice soft and tender
and filled with gratitude,
the tone like a moment from a Bach Pastorale,
“All this, thanks to you.”
Well, what could I do
tell him this minor success at 46,
really not much
but then again perhaps Darwin Dix
now a published poet
knew more than I did
that I was indeed
The Real Big Boss of the Universe
and if not
at least a good union guy.
Charles Chaim Wax
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/no-expectation-of-reward/
