Distinctions

The 11th day of NaPoWriMo.

no one can say i don’t know
my ass from my elbow
though it’s not polite to eat
with either on the table

while elbows may be sharp
they will never cut the cheese
and nobody cooks ass macaroni
or threatens to kick your elbow

though both exist where bodies bend
only one stirs the imagination
no one brags about tapping that elbow
aside from maybe an orthopedist
with an inflated sense of self

I have fallen on both at different times
and the ass is a much better way to land
that natural padding a definite plus

you can’t kiss your own elbows
or your own ass for that matter
not that you’d want to, really
unless you’re freaky
(I’m not)

so while I cannot distinguish between
shit and Shinola
(having no desire to use either for anything)
I’ve got elbows down
and I know my way around an ass
for whatever it’s worth
which (folksy saying aside)
is next to nothing