you are a brave man

you are a brave man
walking on thin ice;
walking your crazy bitch dog near a cat farm
when she was hungry;
talking to the skinny black bear
who came into your yard
looking for food scraps
but you had none.
you are a brave man
to follow your daughter
down a steep mountainside
without carrying enough water
to last the day,
the view sufficient to distract you
from the sunning rattlesnake
and the loose rocks which slid freely underneath
your lazy steps to go
crashing down into the deep canyon below.
you are a brave man to sit on your piano bench
without sheet music
or a decent voice to carry a tune
but with strength enough to write a poem
as your mind kept wandering.
you are a brave man
to drink a bottle of French red
knowing the drive home would
be in a snow storm without winter tires.