(for Iuppiter Elicius)

What’s the haps little man?
Little sun? Little sand?
Beach bumming on the edge of land?
Little limbs catch a little tan?
Freedom and the ease to laugh,
Splashing where the waves crash.
One finger on the hand stretched for
every annual span you have.

Grab a cup, fill it full.
Stack em up, then improve.
Towers and a wall and soon
channels and a moat to loop.
But in the center core you pushed
to dig the deepest hole you could
to send a friendly message through the globe
to all your Asian analogues.

Silly goose, don’t you know the
earth’s core’s just an iron ball of
molten metal lava that’ll thaw to
liquid ore any solid arm.
If you knew a thing about geology
you wouldn’t waste your time at all.
Save your strength for something
like the task we’ve set before you to resolve.

But don’t touch anything.
Don’t break anything.
Don’t add anything.
Don’t say anything.
If there’s an issue with it
better get used to it kid.
This is how it is.
There's a lot of years that you’ve gotta live.

Young man, what you gon' do?
Kick dirt 'til it grows food?
Live off land and turn wood?
Build a home with your own two?
Freedom in the leaves and grass?
It's greener than a lack of cash.
Five fingers on the hand stretched for
every annual span you have.

Get a job. Learn the rules.
Make a name then improve.
Build a stack of checks and soon
pay the rent and debt accrued.
But shuttered in your room you gave
the words and music that your raised
the gravity to trebuchet
the listener away to outer space.

Idiot, don’t you know the
world turns on a pecking order
oriented to the floor who best can
navigate to working up the ladder?
If you knew a thing you’d saddle up
and get in line. What you think,
every man with a five iron
drives arcs through the skylines?

Just do what I tell you.
Just move when I let you.
Just use what I sell you.
Consume what you're meant to.
If there’s an issue with it
better get used to it kid.
This is how it is.
There's a lot of years that you’ve gotta live.

Man-made. Manhandled.
Manifest. Manacle.
Manage. Mangle.
Mantra. Mandible.
Mansuetude. Manic.
Manqué. Manuscript.
Manual. Manual.

Handshake. Flat slap.
Clenched fist. Strong grasp.
Push off. Give dap.
Come here. Stand back.
Clapped palms. Tight squeeze.
Restrain. Release.
Manual. Manual.