A 401K FOR MY THOUGHTS

All of my life’s real problems

would just be solved

if I knew how long to actually cook rice for.

Burnt

Bland

Bubbling

I have been warped by my own needs –

of the typical,

Monday through Friday.

I am not supposed to turn inward -

but I do.

I have a brain and body that long to feel smelly,

bug-run grass

itching me between my toes,

sipping from a retirement-bought glass, 

toasting to a 9-5 that has been foreclosed.

I want to paint on a Tuesday morning

at 10 a.m.

just because I can

but -

art is not being responsible

Pieces of my life have been

Blubbering

and Blistering

infected with the desire for safety and security

textured,

like my skin now when I miss my nightly routine.

Like the rice I scrape

from the bottom of the rustic, mild-mannered pot

I bought online one afternoon

a thank you to myself

Two cups of water

for every one cup of rice,

right?

A 401k for my thoughts.