Michael Philips

Even without a clipboard there was
that hint of officialdom at the front door,
Looking past me at the unopened boxes
Smiling as if someone had told him to.
The pamphlet said welcome but was mostly
rules about allowable colors and cars. Cars?

Was this a horrible mistake
or should I maintain a positive
attitude about the inevitable chafing?
He could have been from the local lynch mob.
We prefer not to use the word “lynch, ” he said.