Anxious Days

his monsignor is dead
obituary torn
his clock did not spring forward
as it should
appetites lost

it’s about time
to compile an impendium
of all the shoes that have yet to drop

the old slippers
the white gym shoes
the soft tan loafers
the black oxfords
(all polished up)
and even the snow boots
that could slip at half a moment’s notice
and crash
precipitously through thin ice