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Roughing It
“Could any of these people bear a week in Walden?†— Djelloul Marbrook
No signal?
Are you kidding me with this?
It’s a mile walk back
to the goddamned Starbucks,
and their wi-fi isn’t even free.
This was such a mistake.
I mean, I like burlap trousers
and a rustic fireplace as much
as the next guy, but
this shack next to a mosquito-
infested swamp is about as
pastoral as a prison camp.
When my agent suggested
Walden II as the idea for my
next book, I thought, why not?
If Thoreau could make a killing
writing about growing beans
and taking hikes, then so could I.
But come on, how is anyone
supposed to write out here?
The closest restaurant is
Karl’s Sausage Kitchen on Route 1.
I don’t know about you, but a diet
of sausage and West Nile virus
isn’t exactly the stuff great books
are made of. If I get a room
on the upper floor of the Ferns
Deluxe Motel in Saugus, I’ll be
able to see the pond
from the window. That’s got to be
good enough.
Thoreau can kiss my ass.
You brought the espresso maker, right?
Doh!
lots going on here…great write…thanks for sharing your words..the cover of your book..something like one of my paintings…very nice…take care
HA! awesome take on this. When I visited the site, I thought to myself how the modern surrounding area would terrify Thoreau…
Thanks for the comments, Wayne. I think my book is the first in the 25-year history of FootHills to have no text on the front cover. I love my friend’s painting and wanted it to be the feature.
@skankinmoon: Thanks for coming by again. And I agree — one look at Karl’s Sausage Kitchen and Thoreau would becoming a marketing exec for Wal-Mart. Or just drown himself in Walden Pond.
Phew, the grass is always greener, but how can you live without a connection? Yeah, the pond sounds good.
I quite like the way you wrote this!
Really enjoyed your sentiments in this poem. I also enjoyed the tone and inflections in the audio. I say, “Thoreau his ass out the window and into Golden Pond!”
Well done!
~mark
@Andy: Thanks so much for coming back and for your kind words.
@Mark: Thanks! Into the pond with ’em!