Pencils

When I was a child, I was surrounded by grownups who wanted to be organizers

When I got a little older, this darkened. 

As I reached my majority, I discovered a love for community organizing

Though I didn’t know what it was called then.

In my early 20’s, my life was drug-ridden

In my later 20’s, I wandered, and into my 30’s

And 40’s

And in my fifties I finally settled down, and down, and down

Walking the streets late at night

Leaving gifts on the front yards of strangers

Yeah a little creepy

Though they were nice gifts

And I never followed up because that would not be right.

After that I discovered organizing again

More on the surface

And I had this dream about a dark place of making

Where I kept driving everybody up a wall going around trying

To rearrange their pencils.

Now I’m still stuck being a jerk about pencils

I’m still lying to myself about pencils

It’s all about pencils sometimes.

– Miep Rowan O’Brien, near Halloween 2018