Everybody dies and one day I will
by Gale Acuff
and I'm only ten years old, I shouldn't
have to die at all, ever, in fact, I
should stay 10 forever or if I get
older get old slowly or if I stay
10 then relax the rules, I'll need to learn
to shave and drive and call girls on the phone
and work part-time in high school, full-time if
I graduate but don't attend college,
or part-time again if I do and as
for having kids and perpetuating
the species like they say at regular
school I think I'd rather own Dalmatians,
last night I dreamt that I bought one but took
it back because it was covered with spots.
Gale Acuff has had poetry published in Ascent, Reed, Poet Lore, Chiron Review, Cardiff Review, Poem, Adirondack Review, Florida Review, Slant, Nebo, Arkansas Review, South Dakota Review, Roanoke Review and many other journals in a dozen countries. He has authored three books of poetry: Buffalo Nickel, The Weight of the World, and The Story of My Lives. Gale has taught university English courses in the US, China, and Palestine.
