While I'm Around

When I’m dead and feeling blue I’ll think of you,
and then my troubles won’t seem so bad.
I’ll rise up—or at least I’ll try to—and even though
I won’t look so good—especially with the passing of time—
I’ll sing along. . .
And looking into the eyes of those around me,
I’ll maintain a perfect smile—though I’m sure that my teeth
will look yellower than ever.
I’ll make chit-chat with everyone around me,
and veer away from anything that reminds people
of what’s in store for them too.
I’ll do everything in my power to help people
live for the moment by focusing only on the now.
The words Be Here Now will be the headline in my thoughts,
even though the original idea was pretty much a sham to begin with,
for how can anyone ever be completely here and now
given all the baggage we’re forced to take with us from the past!
Anyway, I’ll do my best to make everyone forget—
at least while I’m around, and have anything to say about it...

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Jeffrey Zable is a teacher and conga drummer who plays Afro Cuban Folkloric music for dance classes and Rumbas around the San Francisco Bay Area. His poetry, fiction, and non-fiction have appeared in hundreds of literary magazines and anthologies. Recent writing in MockingHeart Review, Remington Review, Ink In Thirds, Third Wednesday, Awkward Mermaid, Soft Cartel, The Bitchin' Kitch, Rosette Maleficarum, and many others. In 2017 he was nominated for The Best Of The Net and The Pushcart Prize.