the kung fu epiphany

LERN KARATE AND DO REMEMBER THE TIMMING
This place is clearly only for karate and self-defense

you are writing poetry
with empty words more hollow
than the promise of the fake masters;
—learn kung fu from the real masters
possibly you would be able to do
do something like your friends
like getting rich
like driving a tank across secretariat road
like dining at hotel classic

you are living a life
sisyphus would cry, be ashamed, to see you
early morning, unbrushed teeth and unironed clothes
and half-eaten breakfast and you are getting ready for work
next morning, unbrushed teeth and unironed clothes
and half-eaten breakfast and you are getting ready
for work that makes up most of the days of your life,
those nicotine-stained lips and fingers know it well

sisyphus says you do not even need to go find stillwell road
to go to china to learn kung fu to outclass him
sisyphus says you do not even need to go to faraway greece
and do like he does all his life like roll the boulder;
sisyphus says to hell with all the masters he is the king—
you can start with the karate class at kilokri.