The Basis of Everything

From the fast-food employee's hands
to ours-- crinkled and stained
with bent corners and a tiny tear

It's passed through many more
hands, than ours.
Some cherished it's presence,
waiting for that critical moment
when it would put on its superman costume
and save the day.

Some left it lying, abandoned
in the bottom of their winter coat pocket,
under the couch cushions with salt cracker crumbs,
mixed up in a pile of take-out menus
to be used at any whim.

Still, it's the most talked about-
most sought after affair.
Everybody wants to hold it,
to make a home for it and
teach it to grow big and strong.

We could pass it on to a set of hands
begging for the type of security
only it can bring,
but we'll probably
“do the Dew,”
instead.

("Write it without naming it" assignment 9/30/08)