Tab A, Slot Whatever
 
We are the unsquare pegs
peg-board makers abhor.
None of the examples on top
of the box remotely resemble.
Hold one of us up.  What
do you see?  Four totally out
of plumb sides and a smidge.
Smidge  cattywampus
and smudged by a thumb
goes this way ‘steada ‘at.
Let’s just say our clocks
are not on the dot.  Earth leans
right, we lean left.  Compass
points north, guess who ends
up heading south.  Try holding
one of our sides like thiiiiiis,
think to work ourselves into
shape.   Nuh-uh, nuh-uh, ow.
We stretch, we groan.  Pretzel
parts didn’t know we had.  No.
Fugedaboudit.  Heads and bodies
Sanforized?  Y’am what I yam,
y’ar what y’ar.  No fancy-
shmancy board with fancy-
shmancy designer-shaped holes
will matchmake.  Read our lips:
ain’ happenin’.  ‘Cause we think
smidges and smudges rock
No matter how cleverly they drill,
can’t hammer us in.  ‘Why?  
‘Cause we’re good for one thing.
Think you spell it p-o-e-t-r-. . .y?

(c) Phyllis Jean Green, March, 2007