work & prayer

When i worked construction
i prayed for rain every day
but, naturally, we were at the front end
of a long drought.

And by the time the sky opened
i was working in a warehouse
stacking huge boxes with a forklift,
praying for some disaster to strike,
wishing for a bolt of lightning
or some malicious winds
to burn the place to a cinder
or at least knock it down.

But it never happened.

I drove a taxi in New York City
and prayed for a blowout
so that i might take a little break.
But though slick with wear,
those tires rolled on.
So i peed in a bottle and kept on driving
and wondered why the lord
never heard a word i said.