Michael VanCalbergh
The Conductor
Rise and shine and give
God your glory, glory.
My father hasn’t worked all month
but unemployment bought him
bacon, eggs, bread, and coffee.
So, he starts there. He thinks
this song will get my brother and I up faster
but it’s his happiness on a Tuesday
that draws us out of bed.
The radio belts out,
If you’re going through hell,
keep on movin’. Don’t slow down
if you’re scared don’t show it
you might get out ‘fore the devil
even knows you’re there.
We watch the rare performance of sweat
as he conducts the kitchen. Light glues
hair to his back and chest as he listens
for the coffee’s gurgle to turn the stove down.
His body thickens the air with its heat
but a swipe of his arm to the pop
of the toaster smells like joy.
Flipping the last egg, he hums,
Make it easy on yourself,
and do the best that you can do.
Stay away from folks who try to
make it hard on you.
I want to celebrate, deliver
a standing ovation to his music;
there’s never an encore.
I sit back and sing with him,
If it ain’t broke,
don’t fix it. If it’s fixed
don’t try to mix it.
God your glory, glory.
My father hasn’t worked all month
but unemployment bought him
bacon, eggs, bread, and coffee.
So, he starts there. He thinks
this song will get my brother and I up faster
but it’s his happiness on a Tuesday
that draws us out of bed.
The radio belts out,
If you’re going through hell,
keep on movin’. Don’t slow down
if you’re scared don’t show it
you might get out ‘fore the devil
even knows you’re there.
We watch the rare performance of sweat
as he conducts the kitchen. Light glues
hair to his back and chest as he listens
for the coffee’s gurgle to turn the stove down.
His body thickens the air with its heat
but a swipe of his arm to the pop
of the toaster smells like joy.
Flipping the last egg, he hums,
Make it easy on yourself,
and do the best that you can do.
Stay away from folks who try to
make it hard on you.
I want to celebrate, deliver
a standing ovation to his music;
there’s never an encore.
I sit back and sing with him,
If it ain’t broke,
don’t fix it. If it’s fixed
don’t try to mix it.
Tower People and Earth People
Michael VanCalbergh currently lives in Normal, IL and works at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His first manuscript was a finalist for the National Poetry Series 2022 Competition. His work is forthcoming from, or has recently appeared in, Pastel Pastoral, Beaver Magazine, Parentheses, Best New Poets 2021, and many other spaces.