Resignation

by  Bradley K Meyer

Resignation

Does the ice-cream man
hear that song in his dreams?
Hear it when the engine is off,
when the lights are out,
& covers are up?
                  Hour
                                    upon
                                                      hour
of the same 15 second sample-
that’s 240 times an hour for
                  hours
                                       &
                                                 hours.
Maybe he enjoys it though,
& to really appreciate it,
he even bought it on vinyl.
Picture it:
as soon as he’s home
he throws it on,
pours some wine,
& plays it another
                  240,
                                    480,
                                                      720
times until the grooves
are worn down enough to
need to buy it again.
No, no, no, this ice-cream man’s
already bought a backup-
so, back on the table, spinning.
& he’s not stupid for it-
for, it’s far simpler 
to learn to love the same
                  40
                                    or
                                                      50
notes than it is to hate them
hundreds of times a day &
easier still to grin
in good humor when doing
some simple & trifling thing.