ARTIFACTS

all that money gone  
for 286 ibm compatible  
with four megabytes  
of random access memory  
rolodex  
polaroid square shooter  
freakin' eight track  
boom box  
olympus OM1  
ford goddamn fiesta,  
escort, ranger  
smith corona with    
self correcting ribbon  
black & white analog TV  
a thousand rolls of kodachrome  
cassette tapes  
beeper  
answering machines  
and dream on dream on dream  
and then this woman    
and that one  
and houses  
and goddamn apartments  
and this job  
and that  
and bosses  
all egos and attitudes  
and the whole thing  
an endless goddamned    
treadmill marathon  
and failure like some dark angel    
on your heels  
but then you're old  
and, thank the gods,  
still here,  
digging the garden,  
pruning the apple tree  
in the early wet shoe    
morning,  
the sun bright enough  
to blind you  
and you're seeing  
lover  
sky  
tree  
everything  
maybe for the first time  
in your puny little life  
and, jesus
if it ain't all just good