One life, noted

On the back of old envelopes

he wrote

his latest joke

a happy verse

parakeet names—Sweetie Pie, Georgie, Mr. Green,

   with their colors and the dates he brought them home

coffee, donuts, peanut butter

family birthdays

account balances

the names of aircraft carriers he never boarded

   blown to bits in the sea

all of the Presidents, in order

the outrageous price of a cinnamon roll

in his wobbly, squared-off script he transformed scraps of garbage into poetry

one by one he'd read them out
laughing or pontificating, and repeating
   always repeating
his precious thought life scribbled down
for safe keeping