As part of his therapy, Jim was instructed to write a poem to
His ex-wife, despite the fact that she would not see it.
He called it “I Like Your Boobs” and he felt that it was
One of the better things he had ever written. Despite his current job
As a truck driver, he was once the pre-eminent novelist
Of his day, a day twenty years prior when he was a college
Professor and a lover to many of the young women in his classes.
His wife hated that he did this, but endured it for the money
And the fame, the invitations to important New York parties
And the dismal fact that he was an athlete in bed.
He had a special finish to the act
That he called the ‘Hank Aaron’ after a famous baseball player
Who was especially adept at hitting Grand Slams. Jim’s life
Was a Grand Slam, it seemed, and Carol stayed with him
Even when a student ended up drunk and in his car, waking in the
Morning to wander into the house and find coffee in her kitchen.
Or, when he wrote a trilogy, one per year, about a crush he had on
A certain talented writer he was mentoring for her graduate degree.
Well, ‘mentoring’ is kind.
She was much more talented than Jim and he knew it,
So he seduced her to make himself feel superior, but didn’t.
“Why did you call this poem ‘I Like Your Boobs’, Jim,” asked his
Therapist, Janette. “It’s a metaphor for how I liked Carol’s breasts”,
Jim replied. “I really miss them. At night, I hug a pillow to remember
Them. It all sounds so Freudian, even to me.” Jim was smart,
But not smart enough to have not been fired from his job at the
College, which meant that his writing began to suffer and his money
Left when Carol did. She would not be married to a philandering
Truck driver. There was no class in it. No pizzazz.
A writer she’d endure. There was precedence for that kind of abuse.
“This is a pretty good poem, Jim. Maybe you should take up poetry.”
“No, I’m a truck driver and that’s the road I’ve chosen. Any work
I do from now on will be entirely secret or for charity.”
No one could say Jim was not a dedicated worker. He pulled down
The brim of his hat and thought about the engines of trucks.