What They Don’t Teach at Hogwarts
A magic wand won’t keep off the rain
As well as an old raincoat.
A frayed raincoat won’t float on water
Like a serviceable rowboat.
An enchanted boat won’t take to the sky
The way a waterfowl can,
But talking geese are far too silly
To come up with a four-year plan.
A clever plan won’t ensure you pass
Your alchemy tests at school.
Acing exams won’t get you a job,
Yet it’s still a good thing, as a rule.
Getting a job may not make you happy,
But the way it work’s kind of funny.
A job ensures some order in life,
And maybe some much-needed money.
Money means you won’t have to rob.
Ditch the wand and get a real job.
Though better known as a fiction writer, David Galef has published a boatload of poems in The Yale Review, Shenandoah, Witness, Measure, etc., and was once the featured poet in Light. His two poetry books are Flaws and Kanji Poems, his two poem chapbooks Lists and Apocalypses. He’s a professor of English and the creative writing program director at Montclair State U. He is also the editor of Vestal Review, the oldest flash fiction magazine on the planet.