If it’s a contest to see who has the worst

life, none of us with computers

or pianos will win. We line up to tell

our versions — poignant, heroic tales

of woe — hoping someone licks

a gold star, sticks it to our forehead.

Did you eat all of your vegetables?

I ate all of my vegetables. Even

canned peas, even mushy asparagus.

None of us with vegetables would win.

My cousin’s girlfriend’s grandmother

once met a starving child in Africa.

If the choice is kill yourself

or write a poem. If you kill yourself

to write a poem. If you write a poem

about killing yourself but do not

kill yourself. Then — then — don’t kill

yourself, okay? Play a game

on your computer. Cheat so you win.

Count your lucky stars. Me,

I’ve got a box full of them

ready to be licked, the box

as light as a feather. The feather

that floats above all our grasping.

— Jim Daniels

Jim Daniels is the Thomas S. Baker University Professor at Carnegie Mellon University. “Nevertheless” is from his book “The Middle Ages” (Red Mountain Press), published in March. Other recent books include “Rowing Inland” (Wayne State University Press) and “Street Calligraphy” (Steel Toe Books).

First Published: March 24, 2018, 4:00 a.m.