The jobs I’d rather do
crowd first in line
to steal my mind away
from the more mundane
and routine responsibilities
to climb inside the Cat
skid steer, feel its hydraulic
strength pump to load
a ton or more or move
a five-ton stump
closer to the coals—
clean-up the tangled mess
Edison left to cover
their derrières
beneath the wires.
Seven-day burn,
4-foot thick eucalyptus,
I scoured the pasture
for fallen-limb kindling
to keep the flame
alive inside me.
drycrikjournal 