Today's Daily Poem

Because You Look Like

big, tall; little, small

fat, thin; chicken, hen

beautiful, disgusting; liar, trusting

round, square; bald, hair

quiet, loud; shy, proud

red, blue; me, you

something to look at; something to see

somewhere to go; somewhere to be

written in stone; kneaded like bread

one day you're living; the next day you're dead

rather than notice, the sameness in all

we look for the "other", and reasons to brawl

let's meet in the middle, the middle of us

and look towards the heavens, and carry the cross

left is the right way, and right is right too

if everyone sees us, together as two

the world will keep spinning, like it's done before

and maybe stop fighting, this "never-win" war.

Dear Diary

I was talking to a friend at school today before class, and he was telling me all about how bad his Monday was. I had actually been talking with him Monday evening before our class together, before all the shenanigans began. When it was a few minutes before class started on Monday, we got up from the cafeteria, and headed to the second floor, where our class was. I took the stairs, and he took the elevator. I took my seat in the lecture hall, and didn't see him walk in. The lecturer began to speak, and he still wasn't there. I was listening and taking notes, so didn't really pay too much attention to the fact that he hadn't arrived yet, even though the elevator should take no more than a few seconds to go from the first floor to the second floor. It wasn't until about an hour into the lecture that he casually walked into the room, and sauntered on over to his seat. After class, I was in a hurry, and didn't have a chance to ask him about why he was so late.

So, fast forward to today. We are back in the cafeteria, preparing for class, and he starts to tell me about everything that went down. The key part of the story is the fact that he is a big Coca Cola drinker, and always gets a large Coke from the fountain. It's not a bottle or can of Coke, but a paper cup with plastic lid.

Just before class on Monday, he went to get a refill so he could drink it during class. After he refilled his cup, he walked on over to the elevator, Coke in one hand, backpack in the other. The elevator doors open, and there are five women standing there, all dressed professionally. As he begins to enter the elevator, his backpack snags the sliding door. His other hand continues to go forward. An object in motion, stays in motion. As his backpack suddenly jerks him backwards, the momentum brings forth the Coke from the cup, dispersing it widely throughout the elevator.

All five women become drenched. The floor is flooded with 64 ounces of soda. My friend apologizes, and is worried that the women will kill him. Fortunately, they burst out laughing in unison, and don't give him any trouble. But, as the janitorial staff were not present, he spends the next hour going back and forth to the bathroom to get paper towels to clean up the elevator. All the while, the elevator is going up and down, up and down, and he has to wait until it reaches his floor again.

He finally finishes cleaning everything up, and heads to class. After class, he walks to his car in the parking lot across the street. He took a different car than usual, because his was in the shop. When he gets to his car, he realizes the dome light had been on all day, and his battery is dead. He has to call somebody to come and jump him.

As he is finishing up telling me this story today, a woman opens the door to the cafeteria with her hands completely full. In one hand, she is carrying an open bottle of Coca Cola. As soon as my friend finishes telling me about the end of his terrible night, this woman drops her Coke on the floor, and it sprays everywhere, including all over the back of the chair I am sitting in.

Photo from Unsplash.