Orange-slickered sheriff's deputies
wave cars through a red light away from a washout.
A yellow schoolbus deposits its solemn passengers
then loops around the flag a few times for good measure.
Trees hail cabs.
Strays pick through leftovers.
A lineman lashes himself to a pole
like a sea captain in a storm.
News anchors drop.
The world tilts.
The runoff is enough to make one think twice.
Looms spin on and on without skipping a beat
their ropes and pulleys oblivious
to the homeless person checking in for Game Two.
Others master the Art of the Deal:
Knowing when to stay in and when not.
It's all here in the Instruction Manual
along with your next assignment.
