Do you get the poem-a-day from the Academy of American Poets? You should. Yesterday’s poem was “Fruit Cocktail in Light Syrup”. My poem is a sort of response, but not a rebuttal. Amy Gerstler is a great, very successful poet! But I read the poem and felt, as I so often do, that I’m not quite erudite or sophisticated enough to be in the poetry world. I read a lot of true crime. I bought a Weird Al album today under the guise that it’s for my daughter. I eat fruit cocktail even now, when I should be at an organic farmer’s market. Part of my sense of alienation is insecurity, but a good portion is also class-based. Recently I was attempting to pawn off a bottle of wine to anyone at work, and as I went down the hall, my co-workers invariably said, “Oh, I only drink red.” I thought Dammit. I have been doing wine wrong, too. I’m fairly sure someone will come into my office someday and quietly pull down all my diplomas and hand me a bus pass so I can get back to Michigan before deer season. In the mean time, though, I write poetry about feeling like I’m not fancy enough to write poetry. Now or soon, you can click here to read “Glistening is a Nutrient” .