It Happens Like This Sometimes

Sometimes
the hammer hits the nail
the nail travels straight through the wood
the picture gets hung
all is right with the world
and it happens like this
sometimes.

Sometimes
the hammer hits the nail
the nail fires in crooked
and the hammerie makes a grimaced face
hammers again, only to tag his thumb
dropping the picture to the floor
it happens this way
other times.

Sometimes
the claw thingy lifts the prize
circles the stuffed animal abyss
and drops it in the hole
I have seen it happen this way
sometimes.

Most of the time
the claw doesn't pick up
shit.

I've hammered some nails
and I've operated some claws
many times in my life
the outcomes predictable
but I always seem to pretend to myself
that I'm surprised
and I know it is not sanity leading this horse
to the supposition waters.

Sometimes
I wonder about the many years I have
prayed at the altar of bland predictability
the altar of romantic love
the altar of time clock wages
inhaled heavy the alienation of consumer greed
all the many times I have knelled down to sip some truth
from the alcoholic ponds
only to become temporarily blind
the outcome always the same
it happens this way
almost all of the time.

This morning I woke up
got out of bed
remained naked
took a hammer
and pounded a massive hole in the wall

I took a framed photograph
of someone, something, sometime
from the past
and dropped it in the hole

I wrote with a permanent marker on a piece of paper
THERE IS A PICTURE IN A HOLE BEHIND THIS
and tacked it on the wall
covering the damage.

I got dressed and had some coffee
loaded two shells in the shotgun
put some quarters in my pocket
got in the car
and headed in the direction of the nearest Denny's
having decided that
with some gentle persuasions
the Claw machine could be made
to drop the prize
all the time.