Down the Cravat!
Packed them up.
Sent them off
to another state,
to my son
who goes to court
and obeys the rules,
to my daughter
who used them
to decorate the walls.
I mean,
why do I need
a rope
around my neck?
So, like Houdini,
I’ve escaped
the rigidities,
the requisites.
It was a way of life
to which I could no longer adhere.
No boss-man now to say
You’re not dressed right.
Thank God!
I’ve got away
from all that crap: tie,
jacket, starched white shirt.
They’re in the cedar closet, out of sight.
Nothing like sloppy sweats and muddied sneaks
to assuage the soul.