Book Review:
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My steel-wheeled ride to work is human dense
No ropes, but by our limbs we’re tightly bound We’re hanging suits, we’re pickets in a fence Too close to breathe, we whisper not a sound We rub in ways that make us want to blush I touch you up there, you nudge me below We’re intimate within this human crush In ways reserved most times for folks we know But willingly we suffer in this box And pay our fare, the reeking crowd abide Resign ourselves to shakes and shoves and shocks To save us from a more expensive ride For our concern comes to this simple crux: To park all day will run you forty bucks |
“Yikes!” I said to myself. I used to pay 4 bucks a day to park under the freeway on 3rd St. in San Francisco. Of course, that was way back in 1972!
My memory reminds me it was also pretty crowded on the Muni streetcar M line which I used to take to the OLLI classes at 835 Market Street. That was way back in February of 2020! So, I could laugh at Davenport’s commuting story.
His poem, “Erasable” also spoke to me, partly because I got a gold watch from my company upon retirement. My 401(k) plan is doing nicely too!
My memory reminds me it was also pretty crowded on the Muni streetcar M line which I used to take to the OLLI classes at 835 Market Street. That was way back in February of 2020! So, I could laugh at Davenport’s commuting story.
His poem, “Erasable” also spoke to me, partly because I got a gold watch from my company upon retirement. My 401(k) plan is doing nicely too!
My focus on work is intense
To pile up both dollars and cents Laboring away, trading effort for pay My future, I fear, is past tense Careers, I have learned, slip away They’ll cart me away one fine day A watch made of gold won’t help me when I’m old Best pump up my 401(k) For a job’s an ephemeral notion Undeserving all rites of emotion No point to bemoan, we’re all on our own Any progress requires locomotion It’s tragic but true, we’re displaceable Like off-the-shelf parts, we’re replaceable The job I am on tomorrow is gone So my business card is erasable |
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After reading that story, I wondered: “Is that old gold watch still in my dresser drawer?” It stopped working about 15 years after my retirement.
In this book, Davenport gives us 61 verses describing his views on Work and Life. It is organized into 3 parts: Communing and Commuting, Humans and Other Beings, and Places and Things. I suspect he has been writing such stories/poems for several years. In his introduction to the book, he cites the American Psychological Association’s finding that Work is a frequent source of Stress for most people. His remedy: Humor and Laughter.
I got it! But, will it work for an old retired guy like me? I hope so!
Here is his story to match the stunning artwork on the book’s cover:
In this book, Davenport gives us 61 verses describing his views on Work and Life. It is organized into 3 parts: Communing and Commuting, Humans and Other Beings, and Places and Things. I suspect he has been writing such stories/poems for several years. In his introduction to the book, he cites the American Psychological Association’s finding that Work is a frequent source of Stress for most people. His remedy: Humor and Laughter.
I got it! But, will it work for an old retired guy like me? I hope so!
Here is his story to match the stunning artwork on the book’s cover:
Get the Hell to Work
At times the workplace seems to me like hell With flames and fumes so thick I’m sure to choke What is that nostril-scorching sulfur smell? My hopes and dreams are going up in smoke The Big Boss shouts, “Now get the hell to work!” His overseer’s Mephistopheles With leverage, he knows that I won’t shirk He owns my soul—my greed is my disease Do I regret the bargain that I’ve made Exchanging immortality for gold? I’m not so sure that I’d reverse that trade Our firm’s en fuego, this is what I’m told So if I could, would I turn back the clock? I don’t think so—I’d just ask for more stock. |
I encourage our readers to treat yourself to some laughs with this book – in these strange times!
Editor’s Notes:
Editor’s Notes:
- en fuego; Spanish: on fire
- Davenport’s book is available on Amazon.com, KelsayBooks.com and other booksellers. Amazon’s and Kelsay’s price is $18.50 for the paperback.
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