To My Rusty Red Wheelbarrow

If so much depends

on the fucking

red wheelbarrow

why not head over

to Walmart

and buy yourself

another? -- is the

backyard mantra

I mutter to myself

all afternoon long

But the message

I really want

to leave behind is --

wheelbarrow

be damned –

you must take

nothing for granted

And remember

so much more

depends

on the trusty red shovel

and strong sturdy back

without which the

red wheelbarrow would

only continue to gather

rust in the rain

This old poem is a personal favorite of mine - an ode to my old rusty red wheelbarrow. Of course, it's with great peril that one dares to write a poem about a red wheelbarrow, in the rain or otherwise. But I happen to have a very strong connection with this particular wheelbarrow; I guess you could say we're joined at or near the hip. And as a result, I have learned a tremendous amount over the course of our long working relationship -- Qui transtulit sustinet!