The End of August, The End of the Road

From my latest book, Vanishing Fair, available on Amazon.


Everybody wants to rule the world
I didn't then and still don't
Because like most things of supposed value
It would be way too much work
But what I did want to do
As my best buddy Jeff and I
Were listening to that Tears For Fears manifesto
On our way back from 
The Little Gem Diner
In the north end of Syracuse
While the sun came up
What I really wanted to do
Was to get away from everything
I could see with my bloodshot eyes
As the view from Route 81
Was the same passing blur it had been
Since high school
I not only knew why I wanted to leave
But where I wanted to go
The mysterious city of Toronto
That had captured my heart and soul
On previous excursions upwards
In the past few years
All this I knew at that eye bleeding hour
With the sun burning my corneas
Even though I couldn't say it
From lack of energy or understanding
To anyone who could listen
Especially my best buddy, Jeff
Who was chain smoking his Winstons
And contemplating similar 
Exit strategies of his own


Copyright 2020 by Steve Keil

An Internal Memo

From my latest book, Vanishing Fair, available on Amazon.


Let's indulge ourselves
In the pointlessness of positive thinking
For a change
Instead of the unsurprising
Expected impending doom
Which has not disappointed
In its daily rounds
Shall we get all Shirley MacLaine
And take a trip to the 
Past lives pavilion
Just to draw strength from
Previous failures
Or go full postal Dale Carnegie
Who believed in his philosophical larceny
So much
He changed the spelling of his last name
Thinking that people would associate him
With the rich family who built libraries
And they did
Or maybe what would work better
Is just realizing
We're doing the best we can
And we should understand that
The ability to continue through
The King Lear storm
Is something to be acknowledged
And appreciated
It probably won't subtract any sorrow
But it might
And that delusion
Is something you can dine out on
If not for a meal
Than at least an amuse bouche
Which is marginally better than nothing


Copyright 2020 by Steve Keil

In The Dark On The Outside

From my latest book, Vanishing Fair, available on Amazon.


Up early
First thing
Before the sun has a chance
To rise
I hit the pavement
With the shoes I'm ready to retire
Taking in the views
Of the houses around me
At a decent pace
Since the gym is closed
On Christmas Day
Mostly by myself
Except for one misguided soul
On Huron Street
Somewhat at peace
Strong from determined accomplishment
Ready to turn the table
On my recent past
Willing to happen to the world
For a change
Feeling better about myself
Than I did the day before
Which is just about
The best present
I could hope for
While the rest of the planet
Unwraps boxes
And throws away
The pretty paper


Copyright 2020 by Steve Keil