A Certain Type
I’m getting to know a local goose
and I’m pretty sure he’s a gander:
belly that’s bigger than the rest of the flock’s;
seems to have appointed himself commander.
Quick to run and snarl at the others
for having the nerve to graze,
showing the red innards of his mouth;
a lot of that going around these days.
Anthem for the 21st Century
Don’t do whatever you’re about to do.
Don’t say that thing you want to say.
If it’s not aimed at narrowing the chasm,
bite your tongue and turn the other way.
Don’t read that screed that’s screaming out to you.
Don’t click the doctored video.
Stop, breathe, recite the golden rule once more
before you tell your friends where they can go.
Michele Herman’s novel, Save the Village, was a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Prize, and she’s published two chapbooks: Victory Boulevard and Just Another Jack. Her work has appeared in recent issues of Carve, Ploughshares, The Hudson Review, The Sun, and LitHub. She’s a devoted teacher at The Writers Studio.