i am riding tedious laps
around the park
on my bicycle
 
thinking casually
about Albert Camus
and “The Myth of Sisyphus”
 
until i see a fork in the road
a filthy plastic fork
just lying on the asphalt
 
then i think about Robert Frost
and “The Road Not Taken”
i hate that poem and Frost
 
but i genuinely loathe
the inspirational posters
urging us to make the right choice
 
on the third lap i stop
pick up the plastic fork
slip it into my jersey pocket
 
a couple days later
i pull my jersey from the wash
finding the plastic fork
 
i hang up the kits to dry
throw the fork in the trash
guessing it made a bit of difference
 
a fork in the road
a filthy plastic fork
just lying on the asphalt
 
—P.L. Thomas