the way of all flesh 13

roy herndon smith

it's already hot
outside, so i turned the air 
conditioner on

so it's nice and cool
inside, the day stretches ahead 
i've got it planned out

the poem i'll write
the emails i'll send, the walk
in the neighborhood

but drowsiness like
the background smell of urine 
in a nursing home

brings me back to earth
bodies sweating in the sun
sleeping in the shade