Burned in the Test

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Burned in the Test

I have wasted so much
sunrise
scraping burned oatmeal
from a charred pot

I have often profaned
bright noon
into three pm
waiting by the telephone
for a call that never came

Why can't I be satisfied
to soak a pot overnight
and be content with new shoestrings
when the old ones snap

I have spent a cat's lifetime
tying short pieces together

I have glued broken handles
on many cups
waited days to find out
they never hold
and been burned in the test

Notes

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McDaniel, Wilma. (2001) Borrowed Coats. Hanging Loose Press, Brooklyn, New York.
Courtesy University of California, Merced Library. Copyright owned by the Regents of the University of California.