take what i can get

dandylions have poked up their golden heads
they're vibrant freckles in green yards
hearty enough to grow in cracks in sidewalks
i notice in my six block stroll to the bus stop
watching the season change to another
in only six blocks i have the time to wonder
if this spring is different
or if it's always been like this, i take what i can get

i don't mean it quite like it might sound
like an opportunistic bastard
looking out for good old number one
it's not the attitude that follows to the tables
of the smorgasborg or all you can eat buffet
can't leave without trying the apple crisp
i'll put it on my plate just because i can
force it down my throat, store in distended belly
it's not the grabity grap in the shopping mall
two-for-one bin of pink plastic flip-flops
buy it because it's on sale, can't have too many of these
it's just really an amazing value

my take what you can get
is neither the begger nor the thief
my take what i can get
is standing in the rain storm
knowing it will pass
when it will pass
till then i'll take the view
of rain falling on open water
ripples from each droplet
travel till absorbed by another

my take what you can get
is feeling thankful
for the young woman singing
and with light fingers
playing keyboard at a simple service
for my father's only sister
who had a sudden stroke mid fifties
leaving him alone
the last of his family to die

it's an attitude
that doesn't leave
lying on my floor aching
for the way
people, the world, it
should be

it has me strolling
with eyes looking outward
and bright spots along the way
during a simple stroll in spring