All Travelers On The Way To Infinity Poem by Charles Wax

As we trudged
to Coney Island Hospital
to visit
Jim Pitt
who’d tried to slit his throat
with the tiny attachment
on a nail clipper
Vinnie Early said, “The depression musta
hit him
after all he ain’t a dinosaur. Them critters
never did such a thing
lasted 160 million years
and we humans been here for a million,
something like that,
but the strings
in our brains is knotted
and the nerves
go haywire.
A design flaw...”
John Couch said, “The Almighty
don’t make mistakes.
When I was in the joint
they was dying like flies. Hanging with
the belt
the favored method
but the Almighty never sanctioned
such behavior
that was Satan’s handiwork.
Do not be confused:
The Almighty is the Almighty
and Satan is Satan.”
“All I’m saying, ” said Vinnie Early,
“dinosaurs never committed suicide,
and that’s a plus on their record.”