Finally, a New Poem!--3WW

Average Stretch Neck
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It’s after 10 pm.
My eyes have little fires
behind them.
The vise-grip
of late evening
has a firm hold
on the back
of my neck,
squeezing.

I’ve just finished
calculating averages
for my tenth-grade
students, playing
cards with my mom,
who is staying
with us for 6 weeks,
making pork roast,
mashed potatoes,
and broccoli
with cheese sauce
for supper,
and taking myself
and my frustrations
for a walk,
leaking the tribulations
of the day
onto the sidewalk.

Now, I stretch
my fingers over
the keyboard
hoping a perfect
ending to this poem
will magically
slide out.