the mud pie looks good

my old friend
in the shined shoes
business suit
silky tie
silky smile
if you saw a 4 leaf clover
in the crack of the sidewalk
on your way to lunch
at the capital grille
with clients in tow
good impressions all over
would you stop stoop pick it
save it see it

or do you see nothing but the horned rim of your glasses
and believe in nothing but who pays the bill
and hope for nothing but unqualified success
as defined by your neighbors as defined by
your neighbors' magazines

and don't you remember making mud pies
the shells were those big flat glossy leaves
that curled up a little on the edges
& we lined them up on top of the stone wall
& they looked so good we took a taste we had to
and it tasted like our fingers and leafy
but crunchy in a bad way and not to be repeated

and don't you think of that when you see
the 4 leaf clover & don't you leave it there for someone else to find
and don't you tell the table while the waitress gets drinks
about the mud pies