Lewis Wickes Hine, Construction worker at the Empire State Building, 1931
Our Man Is Long Dead
Our man is long dead, but not
by his own hand or carelessness
just the ordinary accretion of time
and the unnatural play of events
we'll only guess at. Our own lives
which seem such a solid fantasy
remind us what to shy away from
avoid the heights, rabid dogs, people
who act too strange, bad jobs, the shakes
unsafe food, poisoned air, the dangers
we must not embrace -- we are smart
we know our long list very well.
© 2014 Rob Schackne
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