He tells us how lucky he’s been,
how he’s dodged a lot of bullets
in his life, some just barely,
but they missed him, bottom line.
“Knock on wood,” he adds, and taps
the top of his head with his knuckles.
He’s always been a joker,
the clown in our group who keeps
everyone laughing no matter what.
No matter what, we’re learning,
has its limits.
It means in all circumstances
except:
So when he taps the top of his head,
it’s him being humorous, but no one laughs.
“Cancer,” he says, “I just want
to dodge this one last bullet.”
Lanning Lee 