Two days ago was my birthday.
I drudged through a marshy April lawn
Picking up my dog's shit and litter
From the previous tenants' child/children.
Toys and feces quickly accumulated
In a small, brown paper sack
I received during my trip to the liquor store
In preparation for the evening's event.
My eyes scanned the lawn for at least an hour;
Lost in repetition I began to take inventory.
Where was I ten years ago? I realize
I'm on the cusp of another major transition.
Almost a quarter-century old,
I'm headed towards a milestone
That acknowledges my adulthood
And scares the hell out of me.
Ten years ago I was getting ready
For my new-found independence.
Entering high school, soon to be
Driving cars and fingering girls.
Instead, the next four years
Remained largely like the last.
There were some girls and cars but,
There was a lot more staying at home
And jerking off to the internet.
Ten years ago I was in a mall
Accompanied by my friend
And my parents. It was there
We dined at a bar and arcade.
Since, I have gained independence,
And with that solitude. I move at most
In a pair with a designated friend or lover.
Now my events take place at a bar.
In the past, it was all video games,
Junk food, and angst. Besides what I got
As presents, I remember playing the claw game
Winning a bear with tickets in his hand.
This week, it was picking up dog shit
connected to a stick in the mud; just so
When I'm stumbling around drunk in the dark
I've responsibly avoided getting some on my shoe.
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