A Wrench

I turned a wrench into a bag of dimes

Sold my suits and ties for dope

All I dreamt of was a quiet life

But I was handed so much more

I rode to battle in a Subaru

Found my humility in scars

I filled entire piles of notebooks

Then burned its pages to keep warm

I inked all lies between the lines

To keep me fed and high and torn

I dreamt of moose and trees and burials

Tried to forget where I was born

She came with lilies, wine, and cigarettes

And turned me off my quiet dreams

I soured bitterly in darkened rooms

I found no ink to spare for thoughts

I then made peace in conversations

About the weather, fears, and arts

I found the noblest appreciation

For the sobering of hearts

Now I sell words a dime a piece

Got neither wrench nor suit nor dope

Just endless piles of wilted lilies

And all these dreams of something more

- Afton Light, 2022