Under Water
It's been a long time now,
more like a slug, than an otter,
that I've been swimming,
deep under water.
Grew up poor, but didn't know it,
parents worked hard just to show it.
Allowance bought what I wanted,
all the latest stuff, just for me, me.
Never knew that spending planted,
a pattern of living that wasn't free.
In my teens I flipped for money,
spend it all for quick pleasure,
my milk and honey.
Learned how to dispose of stuff,
so I could easily buy more and more.
Still, never seemed to have enough.
Tired of walking, I needed wheels.
Quickly found all kinds of deals.
Bought a car I couldn't afford,
but when I drove, felt like a ganglord.
Got repossessed for lack of payment,
but the street drugs I bought,
eased my ailment.
College was required for guys like me.
With grants and loans, I got in easily.
Had to have the latest computers you see,
college was about status and not study.
She came along and saved my ass,
met her in my creative dance class.
Our big wedding cost a lot of dough,
we did not have. Thank goodness,
her parents paid for it, though.
Had to have the American dream,
two and one half bathrooms and an,
ultra modern floor plan scheme.
The children came way too early,
what they cost was next to surly.
After many battles over money,
parted company with my perfect honey.
The children were hurt the most,
the lawyers were the Holy Ghost.
A bachelor again, I raised a toast,
and headed for life on the coast.
Mortgage payment went unpaid,
owed more than it was worth.
How things got this way,
I’ve no idea on earth.
So here I am without a job,
prospects dim like some slob.
Unemployment's run out,
and I'm on a limb, sawing it off,
like some kind of whim.
I'm telling you that I'm under water,
but what am I going to tell my daughter?
.
TheLost Correspondent under water sculpture
by Jason deClaires Taylor. Geneda, West Indies
While I have encountered a couple ofthese
situations and was partially under water
for a few years after an uncontested,
inexpensive divorce, this is a collage
of all the ills that can befall us if
we're not careful. And, even if we are
careful, bad things can happen.
If you are fortunate to be above water,
consider yourself lucky rather than superior.
For, "There but good fortune, go you or I."
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Copyright 2015 © Ronald W. Hull
5/7/15
It's in the Water and Other Stories
American Mole: The Vespers
Verge of Apoclypse Tales