Both Feet In
My best friend
and I stand in
his driveway,
rehash old grievances
and solve everyone
else’s problems.
When I ask him
if he has any fresh wisdom
to share on
this humid afternoon,
he says vicarious
learning is something
of a joke.
We’re all bound
and determined
to make our
own mistakes.
I press the point:
Why can’t we
learn from the fuck-ups
of other people
instead of blundering
into the same
pile of dog shit?
He looks down
at the muck
on my shoes,
points to the trail
I’ve left on his newly
resurfaced driveway.
Frank C. Modica is a retired teacher who taught children with special needs for over 34 years. His work has appeared in Up North Lit, The City Key, Sheila-Na-Gig, and Trouvaille Review. Frank's first chapbook, What We Harvest, was published in 2021 by Kelsay Books. His second chapbook, Old Friends, was published in 2022 by Cyberwit Press.
My best friend
and I stand in
his driveway,
rehash old grievances
and solve everyone
else’s problems.
When I ask him
if he has any fresh wisdom
to share on
this humid afternoon,
he says vicarious
learning is something
of a joke.
We’re all bound
and determined
to make our
own mistakes.
I press the point:
Why can’t we
learn from the fuck-ups
of other people
instead of blundering
into the same
pile of dog shit?
He looks down
at the muck
on my shoes,
points to the trail
I’ve left on his newly
resurfaced driveway.
Frank C. Modica is a retired teacher who taught children with special needs for over 34 years. His work has appeared in Up North Lit, The City Key, Sheila-Na-Gig, and Trouvaille Review. Frank's first chapbook, What We Harvest, was published in 2021 by Kelsay Books. His second chapbook, Old Friends, was published in 2022 by Cyberwit Press.
