Amateur Hour

Woke up screaming

YOU OWE ME SOMETHING TO WRITE ABOUT

I got nothing and on top of that

I have an itch in my side
Right side  
No, left side now

Plus I need something very cold to drink

Have to get up and go to the fridge and drink 
in succession from bottles of 
V8
ginger ale
green madness smoothie
and finally
the last of the water
from the last water bottle

should have started there

Meanwhile the itch does not subside
I am less thirsty and more irritated

I am owed some subject matter
and I think it ought to be more 
than my unshowered hide
and my always dusty throat

How does this frustration get me closer to writing
How will this get me the Pulitzer
How will I ever even get a publisher
This isn’t the Sixties 
Meaning well isn’t enough
They want convolution on top of their urgency
these days

If I can’t see right this instant
how these words
will change the world
RIGHT NOW
I might have to quit writing altogether

which will give me time to scratch and drink
and maybe get more sleep
and I bet the neighbors will be pleased
that I won’t be screaming so much before dawn

anyway
this itch has left me
good that I kept after it
the water did the trick
simplify, simplify

leave writing for another day
maybe the news’ll pop something up