The new lament, the 'why can't two live on one income anymore.' |
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Another ThresholdI can’t afford this life I leadas though there was another choice And all the things that seemed so simple, so reachable, so logical, so eminently fair just a while ago, are creeping out of reach It’s the grasp, it must be the grasp There’s nothing wrong with the reach, except for being out of These days Boeing and McDonnell Douglas are setting my pace and their pace is up, while my reach is out and maybe yours as well I guess it’s just another threshold The point at which agreeable pain turns disagreeable and edges toward impossible or intolerable, or some such old-fashioned word But these are new-fashioned times with the new downsizing and the new math where two and two equals one as in earning power, as in the ability to raise a family or even catch a breath Another threshold as the Dow breaks through 5,000 More millionaires than ever as two of us lean into the harness, hoping to be among them before we break or break each other and fight back quiet tears |
This poem is included in Jim Freeman's poetry collection BROKEN PIECES available here in print or as an e-Book in your favorite formats. |