The Diaper’s Paradox, Part I
Before we came to be, our lots were cast,With each of us assigned a role to play.
We all shall see our lives go by too fast,
And so we must adore each precious day.
A lowly diaper, I—produced to be
Ephemera strapped to a baby’s tush—
No doubt a calling with integrity,
Yet all too soon unwanted, filled with moosh.
But, O—to be a pair of underwear,
With hip cartoons that make me well adored!
To last for months or years until I tear,
Or maybe as a keepsake safely stored.
Instead I must endure this low estate:
An hour or two of use shall be my fate.
James Hamby is the Associate Director of the Writing Center at Middle Tennessee State University. His poetry has appeared previously in Light, The Road Not Taken, Lighten Up Online, The Asses of Parnassus, Measure, and other publications.