Useless to Me                        3/20/2003

I feel useless to me…

I feel useless like an old

            Rusty nail, bent and discarded

            Lying in the dirt

I feel useless like an old

            Willow branch, severed from its tree

            Withered and dry

I feel useless like an old

            Forgotten book, yellowing and brittle

            Buried in a box

I fell useless like

            A dead light bulb

Like

            A dead cat

Like

            An elephant with no trunk

Like

            A trunk with no lid

Like

            A lid with no jar

Like

            A jar with no bottom

Like

            A bottom with no end.

I feel useless

Useless like the old man in the park feeding the pigeons

            Or the bag lady walking the streets mumbling to herself

            Or the painter who can no longer see

            Or the musician who can no longer hear

I feel useless

Useless like useless is.

Useless to my wife

Useless to my family

Useless to my friends

Just plain useless.

Useless to me.