Superfluous Advice
A roadside sign attracts my gaze.
It blazons forth: EXPECT DELAYS.
Why bother telling me? I do.
And slights, and disappointments too.
Trying to Sleep with Zoey
I thought I’d get some shut-eye.
I thought I’d get some rest,
but found my nap attended
by Zoey on my chest.
When night came I was tired
(which often is the case)
but woke up in the darkness
with Zoey on my face.
I tried to get her off me
with pokes and prods and pleas,
but she would just get closer
and then begin to sneeze.
And every night’s the same now.
I dread her breath and weight.
I’m terrified of sneezes.
Yes, Zoey is my fate!
I’d lock her in the basement,
except I know it’s true
I’d have to hear her yowling,
plus I’d be lonely too!
I guess that I am destined
to lie awake and keep
my rendezvous with Zoey
so I can watch her sleep.
Bruce Bennett is the author of nine books of poems and over twenty-five poetry chapbooks. He was awarded a Pushcart Prize for a villanelle, “The Thing’s Impossible,” in 2012. He recently received the first Writing The Rockies Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Creative Writing at the Writing The Rockies Conference in Colorado in July. He retired from teaching at Wells College in 2014, and is now an Emeritus Professor.