Being the union guy at Spinoza HS <br />created a morsel of interest to the day <br />like when Darwin Dix showed up <br />his hair a bunch of purple spikes <br />a good ten inches off his skull <br />held upright by some fancy gel <br />from Italy I never heard of. <br />Chairperson Linda wrote him up <br />declaring his appearance demented <br />thus hindering the children’s education. <br />“A poet don’t play by your rules, ” <br />I informed her, knowing the union had <br />gone to court on this one: <br />No dress codes for teachers. <br />Darwin wrote a poem in my honor: <br />The Real Big Boss of the Universe <br />sent it off, <br />and was immediately accepted by two magazines <br />The Infinite Green Frog and Punctured Flesh <br />thus granting me fame, albeit minuscule <br />as both only had a combined circulation <br />somewhere near 48 souls <br />the exact number not definitively known <br />but the smile on Darwin’s face <br />as he handed me a copy of each <br />spoke volumes about <br />the true nature of happiness. <br />Of course I immediately asked <br />for his autograph on the cover <br />which he did saying, <br />“After all these years of despair <br />finally getting known.” <br />Then added, his voice soft and tender <br />and filled with gratitude, <br />the tone like a moment from a Bach Pastorale, <br />“All this, thanks to you.” <br />Well, what could I do <br />tell him this minor success at 46, <br />really not much <br />but then again perhaps Darwin Dix <br />now a published poet <br />knew more than I did <br />that I was indeed <br />The Real Big Boss of the Universe <br />and if not <br />at least a good union guy.<br /><br />Charles Chaim Wax<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/no-expectation-of-reward/
