THE PACK-AND-SHIP BUSINESS WITH
TOM JONES
AND HIS GIRLFRIENDS OF FLIRT
AT FOUR DIFFERENT STOPS
EACH MAKING GIFTS AT EASTER OR CHRISTMAS
AT A DISCOUNT FOR HIS WIFE
HE'D SKIP LUNCH TO COLLECT TIME
THEN STAND ELBOWING A BOX
WHILE I COUNTED THE CASH DRAWER AND HE
TALKED ABOUT THE WORLD BIZARRE AT 20 AND
OF HOW THINGS WERE DIFFERENT BACK WHEN
THEN I WAS FOUR AND HE WAS....
BUT DRINKING AGES WERE LOWER ANYWAY
HE LEARNED WHEN WE SAY 'GOOD MORNING' WE SHOULD
MEAN IT, YOU KNOW--NOT LIKE HOW
HOT APPLE CIDER IS WARM AND TASTES FINE
BUT GROWS COLD, STALE
AND I LEARNED THAT RING BOXES CAN SOMETIMES HOLD
NOT THEIR INTENDED CONTENT, BUT MORE OF WHAT WE'RE
CONTENT INTENDING
HE SAID HE THOUGHT I'D BE JUST FINE
WHEN I FINALLY RESIGNED ON THE 15TH OF WINTER
AND HE CHANGED HIS ROUTE TO ELSEWHERE-
ONLY ONE WOULD LET HIM ELBOW BOXES DURING
OPEN HOURS
AND WE SEEMED TO HAVE CLOSED
AS QUIETLY AS AN EARLY SUNDAY MORNING
BUT WHEN I'M IN TOWN I STILL KEEP AN EYE
FOR AN SUV TAG READING
"MY OTHER CAR IS A BIG BROWN TRUCK"
R.L.BARNES 2002
