In The Dumps

I was down in the dumps
Long day, lots of bumps
I’d just gotten over the biggest hump
And found myself
Banged up
Chewed up
Spat up
Sittin’ up
With the largest head lump
No, I needed no mirror
Or medic magazine
I needed no scripture
Nor friend inspectin’ me
To tell I was a-hurtin
The pain rose from within
As true as rock, as true as wind
As true as rust upon the metal bin
There I stopped to lay my things
Just a short time to set my belongings
Free my shoulders of their weight
And give my head a chance to syncopate
I was free of any physical burden
And sat up with time enough
To paint constellations in the stars
And dream a little dream
Without going too far
A circling, circus of little mice,
Elephants and dragons
Dancing two-step around my noggin
Around this dump, around this bin
I found newspaper clippin’s
And in the headlines
Were media’s attempts to realize
A world of importance
Trump had a new haircut
And Putin was on the wire
People surrounded the police trucks
With signs sayin’, “Work for hire.”
I kicked the papers away
No idea which direction
This world is headin’
But I needed some relief
Some fun to kick in
So I dived in the dumpster
To see if there’s somethin’ worth havin’
Passed the usual white bags
With their pierced sides oozin’ and juicin’
And clear signs of both college kids
And drunks a-boozin’
A week's worth of baby diapers
Gave the bin a good rank
Beneath the eggshells
Pricked by toothpicks and napkins
And a blended assortment of colorful
Who knows what else
I find matches, good for two nights
I place them to the side
Lay them on the carton
And there at the bottom
Is a set of magnets
All out of order
In no language I understand
But it was my moment
My reason to stand
And that’s where you’ll find me
in the bottom of that dump
I’ll be back at the beginning
With my daily blessings
I’ll be busy at play
with my A, B, C’s