Bad Day

By Kay Ryan

Not every day
is a good day
for the elfin tailor.

Some days
the stolen cloth
reveals what it
was made for:
a handsome weskit
or the jerkin
of an elfin sailor.
Other days
the tailor
sees a jacket
in his mind
and sets about
to find the fabric.
But some days
neither the idea
nor the material
presents itself;
and these are
the hard days
for the tailor elf.

Ryan, K. (2000). Say Uncle. New York, NY: Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
Photo Credit: Alan Dep