New poem: LET'S HOLD EACH OTHER'S TONGUES

[Inspired by an article in THE NEW YORK TIMES]




if you feel the urge



to commit a mortal sin tonight,



just call me



and I'll tell you all sorts of tales



about how there's someone out there



sweeping up everything you've said and done online,



all the times you've been to the principal's office,



all the things you've yelled at strangers in traffic,



all the stab-through-the-soul comments you wrote



when you evaluated your professor



at the end of the semester,



all the times you were told to pick up the tempo



on your productivity at work,



all the moments you said or did something



momentarily out of character you apologized for later



all....of....these....incidents....



can count against you



and leave you poor and starving



and living out of your car



after months to years



of not being able to find another job



to replace the one you were fired at will from



so if you hold your tongue



and never say anything



rash or wrong or ill-informed or maladroit,



I promise I'll do the same



and I hope



that the agency



who my future possible employers



have hired to read this poem



won't hold it against me



and keep it in their nonerasable hard drives forever



.