“My Workout Schedule”

wake up
walk two miles
then write-
in a notebook-
until i can't
anymore

walk to the
park
and do pull-ups
until i can't
anymore

sit on a bench
and try to write
poetry

two poems-
every day-
even bad ones-

especially
bad ones

do arm lifts on parallel bars-
ten of them-
then ten more
pull-ups

walk home
and on the way
make myself
pay attention-
without headphones-
without distraction-
without conducting
imaginary interviews
with rolling stone
magazine in my
head-

i make myself pay
attention to cars that
drive past and trees
that look good for
climbing and trash thrown
on the ground by
careless consumers who couldn't
stand the sight of
that beer can anymore
and people who
walk past me and songs-
too loud from car
radios

just to take it
all
in

get home
pretend to write
until i have
given up and then
do sit-ups
and push-ups-
always five more
than the day before-
at least until
i can't
anymore