Over 30 years ago on Jury Duty
in the room where you wait to be called
I sat between a man named Louis Marx
who imported Swiss Army watches
and a singer named Laine Cooke. When
Louis Marx asked what I did
I said Write Poems and he asked if he could
hire me to write poems in exchange
for Swiss Army watches. A watch a poem.
I wrote poems for his entire family
and gave everyone I knew a Swiss Army watch.
That was the most I’ve ever been paid to write poems.
Laine Cooke and I became friends. She lives
a few blocks away and we’ll have lunch today.
Many years have gone by between jury duties
but I am called to serve this Thursday and I
am hoping that the person who sits next to me likes poems.
I serve Thursday as well. I love your poems.