Mike Berger

PEGGY

No raving beauty.
Skin its pockmarked
and lumpy here and there.
She's been down the road
and back again.

For all of that,
I am attached to her.
There are times when
I can't do without her.

On rare occasions she is
obstinate and fails to do
what I desire. I talked to her
softly and she complies.

Though she has been my
companion for years, I am
going to give her a kiss and
say goodbye.

I'm thinking of getting a new
prosthetic leg. I think I will
call her Eileen.

Mike Berger is an MFA, PhD. He is retired and writes poetry and short stories full time. He has been writing poetry for less than two years. His work appear in seventy-one journals. He has published two books of short stories and seven poetry chapbooks. He is a member of The Academy of American Poets.