Poetry Report: World’s Oldest Man Dies

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“Obama stuck
his head out the door.
He was wearing an apron”

The snickerdoodles have the presidential seal on them.

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Just Go Say Hi


I figured I'd just go walk up to the White House
like I used to walk to my friend’s house,
when I was 10 and freckled,
and the world was peanut butter
and jelly and two soft mattresses
of bread to cushion every day.

Obama stuck
his head out the door.
He was wearing an apron
with a single needlepoint of a rose
front and center.
The smell of snickerdoodles
wafted past my head.

“Obama, it’s crazy out here.
The oldest
man in the world
just died
which means there
is a new oldest man
about to die
and nobody knows
who it is.
And I think it freaked out
some psycho
who shot up the Naval Base.
What if the newest
oldest man dies before
we find out he’s
the newest oldest man?
Then we’ll all be fooled
into thinking it’s the third
or fourth oldest man
and what good will that
be for the world?
And who is going to replace
the 12 people murdered
at the Naval Base?
It’s all very confusing.
Can I come in?
Is Michelle home?”

“Uh, I don’t think
the folks here would
allow it.” He answered,
“You want
a snickerdoodle?”

“OK.”
I was handed a cookie and the door closed.
And I was out here in the cold again
just holding my snickerdoodle in my hand.

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