Life Imitating Art

by Kevin Brown

I wake up and make my way
to work and wonder why,
then come home

where the question lingers,
though I bury it beneath a laugh
or at least a smirk

with jokes everyone attributes
to their dads,
due to my age, not my parental status
or fatherly mien.

I’ve adopted the actor’s adage:
the most important aspect is sincerity;
once you learn
to fake that, you’ll be fine.

Otherwise, my co-workers call
me cynical
and my wife wonders and worries
about me
and my one friend

who want something better—
or at least different—
accusations always easier
than admitting and sitting
with a lack of understanding.

I no longer know
if I’m the monkey
or the hurdy-gurdy man
cranking another day away;

I just take the few coins life
provides, and I spend them
like there’s no tomorrow.