Welcome to Poetically Yours. Poetically Yours showcases poems by northern Illinois poets. Today's poet is Michael Kirk.
Kirk is a horticulturist, a master gardener, and a former employee of the Nature Conservancy. Kirk has also worked in restoration ecology. He has three sons and five grandchildren. He was born and raised in the Roseland neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side and has lived in several locations including Hawaii and New York City.
He remains active in a variety of conservation efforts in DeKalb County and elsewhere. Kirk enjoys writing, landscape design, and the continued study of botany and music. Here's his poem "A Ripened Old Sage."
Old McDougal had a small farm
All seemed well till he broke his right arm
But when he fell face down while fixing a rafter
His wife took the dog and booked shortly after
The crops they were failing, the mortgage was due
When the bankers came a calling, he knew he was through
He fell into a funk and finally said pluck it
So, he fueled up his pickup and drove to Nantucket
I'll just get me a cane pole and fish for my dinner
He never questioned his logic, it seemed like a winner
He lived on the beach to a very ripe age
No longer a farmer, he lived like a sage
30, here's to McDougal and all the men like him
They'll pick up the pieces however you slice 'em
