My Finger In A Dike

-My Finger In A Dike-
by
Keaton Foster



My finger is sore
The ramifications
Of my predicament
I do indeed deplore
It’s way past midnight
And here I am
With my finger in a dike
If I move, if I try to flee
The smallest of stream
Will soon become a tidal wave
Washing away all that I love
Destroying all that I hate
Decisions burdened by weight
Are somehow causing me to delay
I could scream for help
I could call for others
With equally fattened appendages
To take my place
Maybe so that I could run away
Taking those I love to higher ground
Leaving those I hate behind to drown
After all buildings and structures
Can always be replaced
Built in the mirror image
Of all that have been destroyed
Of course the point is moot
Unless I remove my finger
The one I have stuck
The one that hurts like fuck
My finger in a dike
What a damn night
I was just walking by
On my way through town
Heading down to the local pub
To have a beer or two or ten
With men who are as equally screwed
By the choices that they have made
And the foundations laid
Pseudo friends who I drink with
But never see outside the walls of the pub
As I passed, as I came by
I saw a dribble
That turned into a steady flow
Living here the rule of thumb
Or should I say finger
Is that if you see a leak plug it quick
Then call for immediate help
There are men, definitely not me
Whose only purpose and meaning
Is to plug holes and repair the dike
Surrounding our vertically challenged town
The sea is almost above our heads
Way below level
We stand no reasonable chance
If the dike fails, so do we
On this ruined night the honor
Of saving everyone within the village
With my digits falls upon me
Regardless of like or hate
I must do what is right
I just hope no new leaks spring
Because I only have nine fingers left
Well actually eight and a half
But that’s another story entirely…




My Finger In A Dike
Written by Keaton Foster Copyright © 2012.