Three Poems – Danny P. Barbare

Like the Bucket of Water and Mop

To share and share
a like
says the bucket of
water
and mop
we wring out our
troubles and put down
the light
as a team we work
for a common
dream
and clean we make
it
prosper and shine.

The Work of the Janitor Poet

Says the janitor how I
write is routine, broom
and mop
clean across the
page
I sweep the words
into the dust pan
wring them out in a
bucket of water
Oh how happy I
am
when they shine
as if I got
into the
groove of things down
to the dirt and grime.

Sweeping at Work

Patience says the broom
straw for straw
it is time that makes it
clean
sway by sway
handle and dust pan
the floor shines like a coin.

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Danny P. Barbare says he loves to travel to the Blue Ridge Mountains and the lowlands of Charleston, SC. He says, many of his poems are inspired by his childhood and his job as a janitor. He has recently been published in North Dakota Quarterly, Plainsongs, DASH, High Plains Register, and Grey Sparrow Journal. He lives with his family and dog Miley in the family home where he grew up in Greenville, South Carolina. Twitter: @DannyPBarbare

Banner Art: Untitled by Cathy Daley.