When your bucket of blunders burdens you,
bury it in the garbage bin,
tie it with a tight bow and let it go.

If your mantel of mistakes manages to outmaneuver you,
clear it off, box the contents
and send if off to Salvation Army.

So your snarling sack of snafus starts to undo you?
Un-snake and unravel each strand.
Then shred them all for good.

Dare the darlings of delusion dwell too long,
deliver them from their disappointment.
Close the lid and dump them.

Should certain cares come to crush you,
crash them like a tsunami
or simply create compost of them.

Whenever worms of worry wiggle into your
peace of mind, wind a hook through them
and feed them to the walleyes.

When on occasion the black obelisk of obstacles
hangs over your head like a piñata,
punch it with a pole until it spills its gifts.

The pendulum of problems probes too close?
Prime yourself in the knowledge
that it will surely swing back.

Know that even a random universe
has checks and balances, its cosmic dialectic.
Know: Chaos doesn’t last forever.


From The Alleluia Tree (Puddin’head Press, 2012).
This poem first appeared in Red Silk.
Used here with permission.