Michael Casey

sander

just by chance I thought to ask my neighbor
my Father’s next-door neighbor
if he had my Father’s electric sander
my Father has passed  
some six months before
and I knew tools were
sometimes shared as the neighbor
was such a good friend
but the sander was my Dad’s
and I was sure and 
sure enough the neighbor had it
and gave to me right away
and as I left he said to me
with no sense of irony
be sure to return it though
because I have some work yet to do
and so as I left
I gave him a finger
I would have done two
but I was carrying the sander
with one hand

George’s sister

I was visiting George Mileon
on Foster Streat 
and I parked my father’s car
outside George’s house
of all my friends
George had the prettiest sister  
with the prettiest name
Melanie Mileon
and when I was leaving
there were two cars parked behind mine
and nothing in front  
so obviously
I did not have to go slow leaving
from this like unbounded parking spot
and I meant to dash away 
but the car
was in reverse
bashed into the car parked behind
and that really got me rattled
and so I floored it to get away 
and guess what
it was still in reverse
bash bash the car behind me
then hit the car behind it
like three marbles
and the law
of conservation of momentum
but all and all it was a nice visit
got to talk to George’s sister

 

Casey's latest book is a reissue of Millrat from the Loom Press.  His book Obscenities was in the 1972 Yale poetry series.