clean break

another yr.
of working
in private
education
which i
fell into
at 21.

i’m 38
now.

the tribulations
of an
english major—
ask
john mulaney.

every yr.
i pep-talk
myself
into
getting out.

open
that bar
or some
kind
of business
that excites
you.

the writing
hasn’t
panned out
yet.

but i
latch onto
this poem
and every
other thing
i write
like it’s
my final
night
that will
deliver
a clean break
in
the morning.

Ken Kakareka is an American writer nominated twice for Best of the Net.