invention

i'm tired of working for the man
you tell your friend Lydia.
me too, she says, maybe
if we invent something
we can be rich. she throws
a crouton at a small
gathering of sparrows
at a table outside of Balducci's.
like what you say,
biting into your twelve dollar
chicken sandwich.
oh, I don't know.
something easy, something fun,
something everyone will say
oh wow, that's cool,
I want one.
you know, like a pet rock,
or a slinky. the hula hoop.
hmm. okay. let's brain storm
then, and get rich.
a few minutes pass as she eats
her enormous salad
and you bite into your sandwich.
more birds gather.
i'm getting a head ache
you tell her. I think they put
too much salt in this chicken.
I got nothing, she says.
me either you say
and open the sandwich to take
a look at what you're eating.