Today

Baby has cried for
three days, it seems,
wrung-out, exhausted,
can’t pay the sitter again this week.

Food stamps ran out last week,
payday’s not ‘til Thursday.
Count quarters for a gallon of milk.
Don’t depend on a child support check,

he isn’t working anyway.
Mirror says get a haircut,
checkbook says flat broke,
Today is yesterday all over again.

(This poem first published in the 2006 Edition of The Huron River Review)