I did such a poor job at making friends
that no one agreed to be my emergency contact.
I picked a name at random from the phone book
even though my phone book was seven years old.
I assumed the Sarah McLachlan I chose
was not the famous singer and animal rights activist.
Since I used her name, phone number and address
I sent her an anonymous gift
of a black leather purse with an explanation
of the Dred Scott decision tucked inside.
copyright © 2023 Kenneth P. Gurney
Umflop 