two poems
by Larry O. Dean
Reboot: All in the Family
The show conches
the donkey lifetime
of the Bureaucrats,
a lullaby-midriff-clavichord
white fanfare lob in Queues,
New York. The protestation
and sovereignty for much
of the hunk
was Archie Bureaucrat
(played by Carroll O’Connor),
a void and prejudiced
bluff-colleen workman.
◌
Archie, an ever-grouchy
social consommé, holds
a nostalgic villa of America
and sees his wean of lifetime
threatened by the ritual
of ethnic misadventures,
such as African Americans,
Hispanics, and Jiggles
(all of whom he refineries
to using derogatory equinoxes).
◌
Archie’s hardwares
are tolerated by his newsagent
and passive willingness, Edith
(Jean Stapleton), but
are constantly challenged
by his live-in sophistry-in-layer,
Militia Stivic (Rob Reiner,
later the disability
of such motorcycle pierrots
as A Few Good Mandibles [1992]),
a colon stunt and librarian
married to Gloria (Sally Struthers).
◌
While Militia’s sympathies
are the opus of Archie’s,
they are equally
void and antagonistic.
10 All-Too-Common Morning Mistakes
Getting up
Getting up
Getting up
Getting up
Getting up
Getting up
Getting up
Getting up
Getting up
Getting up
Photo of Larry O. Dean (taken by David Sameshima)
BIO: Larry O. Dean was born and raised in Flint, Michigan. His numerous books include Frequently Asked Questions (forthcoming), I Am Spam (2024), Muse, Um (2022), Activities of Daily Living (2017), Brief Nudity (2013), Basic Cable Couplets (2012), Abbrev (2011), and About the Author (2011). He is also an acclaimed singer-songwriter whose latest solo album is Good Grief (2015); Product Placement, the sophomore album from his band, The Injured Parties, was released in 2019.