acceptance

tele got accepted
to some east coast college
where dawn
spreads her limbs
in rose above the atlantic

too bad for odysseus
who, always on his westward journey,
would now need athena's help
if he were to at all visit his son
away at school

and what will you major
he texted tele
on his new iphone 4s
talking to his son telemachus

O had secret thoughts
of his son studying
greek scholar of philosphy
languages latin greek
history literature

he received tele's text:

     idk really dad
     but i was thinking
     accounting,
     business,
     computer science
     omg
     gtg
     ttyl

and with this,
O's screen went blank
then to his familiar wall paper
catamaran palm trees

O was left thinking
of his faithful swineherd
Eumaeus
who after twenty years
had carefully attended
his sheep never giving up
on the return of his master

and also, of his uncle raymond
a man who loved to mix and pour concrete
and raymond's father in law, john
who mastered in blue prints
for plumbing construction
and of a priest who would make house visits
bringing out the best of his scotch
and of mick the fire man
who read more books in one year
than a new yorker editor
and of his cousin johnny
baking bread for a living
and burney bangasser the policeman
who ended up mowing lawns
and two blonde surfers
who became cabinet makers
and of a sister who worked at wal mart
and of all those teachers in the family
and the ones who worked at stores
pizza houses, insurance firms,
english professors of english pens in pockets,
mrs. mickleson,
the sisters habits,
the trw workers,
the standard oil fare,
the smell of mud on the plumbers khaki pants,
and all of whitman's salt of the earth americans

he will make a lot of money Odysseus,
said Penelope
he will
said Odysseus, sadly
what is wrong Odysseus?

one thing i learned
stranded at sea for so long

the world turns too fast
you notice when you slow it down

this gadgetry of his generation
shall create new floods

of biblical proportions

silly odysseus, said penelope,
the bible hasn't even been written yet

now will you text your son back
he obviously misses you

o was deeply confused
his feelings torn

how do you work
this thing again he asked penelope