Friday, January 30, 2015

A Prayer for Optimus Prime

My son over Thanksgiving week
volunteered for the first time
to say the blessing on the food at dinner time.

In his honest orison,
in the most stereotypical
heartfelt tone I've heard
from him yet,
he thanked God
for the things he
treasures most:

Optimus Prime,
Bumblebee,
and sundry other characters
from the Transformers franchise'
lastest efforts to ensnare the young
in consumerist culture:
Rescuebots.

That's how you know you have market penetration:
4-year olds are praying thanks over your fictions
and asking blessings on their well-being.

I think that Hasbro needs to cut us
a bit of a check
for the benedictions since then
that have fallen from Pete's lips,
undoubtedly benefiting
the brand.

Till then,
I suppose my pay will be
the smirks,
side-long glances exchanged with my wife,
and satisfaction
from hearing my son
pray for Deus' sublime
gift
of Optimus Prime.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

My 6-Month-Old Kisses Herself in the Mirror

And not just some little peck -
A big wet one -
Like she's trying to eat ice cream,
Which she is as sweet as,
But her reflection,
Judging by the confused reaction on her face,
Is a little disappoitning...
and flat.

And which of us doesn't
Like ice cream?

And who of us doesn't engage in some sort of
Self-aggrandizing personal osculation
Ultimately to discover that
Whatever mirror we're first-basing with
Dissapoints,
Reflecting
Not the finer traits
We'd intended and hoped
But a more 2-dimensional perspective of our character,
As if the very act of introspection for the sake of vanity
Sucks all the Depth out of one's character in order to
Satisfy the growing Heights and Breadths of
Self-promotion's demands,
No magnanimous mysteries or secret successes left in the shadows of our own
Non-disclosure.

That depth of character
Which can only be plumbed
When it is left to pool quietly dowsnstream
Rather than dumped wholesale on one's head
Like an Ice Bucket Challenge
(the YouTube video of mine being
available for you to like online.
I'm already at 1,200,000.
No really!)