MIDWINTER PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST

(Also: Accountant, aspiring CPA)
5 days before the designated
Carefree week
(After work- purchase a chain for each drive tire),

Momentarily dreaming of crisp
Cerulean sky- whisps of breath
Mimicking high altitude clouds
(Remember to pack the chenille scarflette Dani made),

He sits at his cherry wood-stained desk
With the “clover”* his daughter gave him
Slowly wilting over the rim
Of his dress shirt pocket

Formulating a cover letter
For team 3’s charter
(Management Processes and Behavior,
Spring, 3 credits)

In between bouts of restlessness—
Reading articles on Cambridge Analytica,
Searching for recipes now that she used all the bacon
(Carving the ends off the old brussels sprouts will take awhile),

Inputting bits of his own returns in the software
(Charity contributions don’t count anymore)
& Committing the crime of writing poems when he should be
Tax Season-ing.

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*technically sourgrass foliage