My Father Always Said
my father always said:
“whoever sleeps and wakes with the chickens
will grow up healthy, strong, and wise.”
in our house, by eight o’clock the lights were out,
and we woke at dawn to the smell of
coffee, sizzling bacon, and fried eggs.
my father followed this routine
all his blessed life,
and died young, without a penny in his pocket,
and, I recall, not all that wise.
paying attention, I reversed his advice
and it turned, for me, into this —
to sleep late
and rise late.
now, I’m not saying I’ve conquered
the world, but I’ve managed
to avoid early traffic jams,
to skip a few ordinary traps,
and to meet some strange and
wonderful people.
one of them
was
me —
someone my father
never
knew.
