it’s not easy building igloos in the sahara.
the sun melts the ice, and wind grinds
even the hardest monuments back into
powder. ten thousand years later you’re
back where you started. it wasn’t easy
listening to the doctor say words like
biopsy, inconclusive, false positive,
post-op physiotherapy. wasn’t easy
telling dad about how you dropped
the ball, sold out for a pension. the
pension fund went bankrupt anyway:
bad investments in venezuelan hotels
just before inflation went to 30 000%.
it’s hard picking lint off your pants
with even the most powerful magnet.
it was hard watching them buy the
land from right out under our feet,
turning even the gentry back into
squatters, rootless renters. our new
overlords have bmws with sunroofs
and even their eyebrows are sexy.
easy was a warm bath with epsom
salts and a fresh pack of razors. not
everyone gets to go home a winner.
Darrell Epp is the author of 3 poetry collections: Imaginary Maps, After Hours, and Sinners Dance. His next book, Mechanical Monkeys, will be published by Mosaic Press in 2020. He lives in Hamilton, Ontario.
Eunoia Review 
This was great!