This day started alike to the days come before
with a sunrise to start and a scratch at the door
as Augustus’s dog, Rhett, asks for a quick stroll
then a treat, and fresh water poured into his bowl
"Ho ho!" shouts Augustus as he gets out of bed
with his head that the pillow made sweaty and red
and adds as he opens the door to his room,
"Today luck will make my bank account bloom!
"I’ll play the state lottery, the biggest of all:
the PowerPlay game with five little white balls
and a red at the end to win from that set
millions of clams to get out of my debt
"My birthday, your birthday, today’s date at the end,
is the number that destiny has chosen to rend
a losing streak lasting five years until now,"
he says as he pets his puffy chow chow
"I now must wash up and get dressed in my best
perhaps a tall hat or a charming green vest
so that as I take fate’s ticket in hand
my look is equally humble and grand"
Before he begins he goes to his spot
by the window to check if it’s humid or not
"It’s hot, oh! It’s hot, I didn’t plan that
I would suffer most terribly in a tall hat"
He ponders his wardrobe for comfort and style
an idea he has lights him up with a smile
"No champagne or caviar or soup with shark fin,
after buying my ticket I’ll go for a swim"
He takes his swim trunks from the drawer by the bed,
washes and dresses, parts the hair on his head
He packs a light bag with a towel and his keys
his remaining few bucks and a piece of string cheese
"Now let me set out and go to the store
to pick up that ticket this morning before
someone divines the great luck that it has
and gets there ahead to cut me off at the pass"
As he opens the door to go into the hall,
he stops to pet Rhett and throw him his ball
He spots his old camera and memory stick
and packs them both saying, "That should do the trick!"
Now out in the hall, he locks his green door,
goes down to his car and drives to the store
Once there he says firmly to the clerk by the till
"I’m buying a Powerball with this number, I will
"It starts with my birthday, that’s a 1 and a 2,
then Rhett’s is the 5th in month 6, which is June
Today’s date at the end is a 6 and 13
It’s all in the numbers, you know what I mean?"
What else does Augustus buy at the convenience store?
The clerk runs the number, logging his book
and glancing just once with a curious look
at the corpulent man who is mustached and stout
and wearing blue trunks though no pool is about
"Here you are" says the clerk with pride and a gleam
"You’ll see it’s in order from 1 through 13
All’s fair and square here so the rest’s up to Lotto
'Play the hand that you’re dealt' is always my motto
"Was there anything else I can get you today?"
he asks now before his customer pays
"Ah, yes, one last item," Augustus says then,
wiping sweat from his brow and under his chin,
"One paper towel roll without pattern or print
Mind grabbing it there?” he says with a squint
"No problem," says clerk as he runs down the aisle
like Augustus’s squint, while he waits a short while
After completing his purchase, where does Augustus go?
Purchases ready he hands clerk the money
His moolah is gone but his outlook is sunny
"The drawing’s on TV tonight at eleven,
so that’s your cutoff for petitions to heaven"
Augustus nods and walks out to the street,
towels in his hand and a bounce in his feet
With hours left to pass before the event
he ponders how this time could now best be spent
"It’s apparent to me," he says to himself,
"that any good man who’s gaining large wealth
would look at new cars to consider which might
convey him securely and make a nice sight"
He stands at the corner debating which brand
would make the best match for such a grand man
A BMW? A Jaguar? An Audi or Lexus?
He goes to CarMax as the car buying nexus
What does Augustus do at the car lot?
He arrives to the building: blue, yellow and white,
and peaked at the top, it's a buyer's delight
Stepping inside the car superstore,
he inhales the gleam of the windows and door
“May I help you?” a salesman says with a grin
as he finishes tucking his polo shirt in
“Good man, yes, you may, I've come to research
which aluminum steed will transport my great girth
“Before I begin, I've one brief task to do,
I'm withering away without a morsel of food"
The salesman graciously nods to the side
toward free coffee and a junk drawer with packets inside
Augustus finds to pair with his cheese
packets of pepper and crackers in sleeves
He assembles his meal, and after he sits,
drinks coffee with crackers au poivre with cheese bits
What does Augustus do after finishing his meal?
Having finished his drink and his crunchy white salad,
resisting a nap with the store's muzak ballad,
he brushes the crumbs from his mustache and stands
with a damp paper towel to clean off his hands
"Very well," says he now as he crosses the floor
"I should make my selection today now before
I have wealth in my pocket and this fellow detects
and charges twice the amount for twice the defects
"These luxury brands as everyone knows
have the same type of breeding so then it must go
it's rather about what I'd like express:
exhilaration, innovation, perfection or sex"
He takes out his camera and walks by each brand
Requesting that people around the cars stand
and show how they feel about the car make
so he can snap photos for after the take
With pictures secured on his memory stick,
certain they'll guide him to make the right pick,
Augustus turns 'round and to a store clerk,
extends his right hand to shake clerk's with a jerk
"'Til then," he avows with pursed lips and a nod
to the befuddled employee tagged with the name "Bob"
He returns to his car, his Yugo three-door,
puts on his seatbelt and has one errand more
"The other research I must certainly make
is find suitable clothes to equate with my stake
The public expects a man such as myself
to have the attire befitting my wealth"
He drives to a store and parks in the lot
The window shows ties in classic tie knots
He enters the store to the sound of a bell
and takes a deep breath of the fine woolen smell
The clerk in this store quickly perceived
the mustachioed stout fellow in t-shirt short sleeves
for the moment Augustus appears in his kitsch
clerk's right eye develops a jittery twitch
"Ho, ho! Here's fine wear for a man such as me,
a big and tall customer with strong corps d’esprit.
Dear man might you find my fit and my measure
and suggest what fabric is best for this weather?"
The clerk does not turn Augustus's way,
so Augustus moves closer to restate his say
The clerk slips behind a full clothing rack,
which causes Augustus to take a new tack
He casually browses the ties at the back
as he sidles toward clerk for another attack
Once he is near, he gives his shoulder a tap,
which startles the clerk, securing the trap
Facing the clerk, Augustus detects
the disdain in his gaze, and thus he suspects
not having the cash to buy from the store,
it may serve him better to leave than implore
He exits the store and sees from the time,
he hadn’t the minutes to stand in the line
for he needs to get ready for his shift as a guard
that swings into midnight on his timecard
He returns to his building and enters his flat,
Changes his clothes and puts on a hat
Dressed in his uniform, ticket in hand
the next hours are grains of hourglass sand
"The moment approaches; it's nearly here now,
Is it possible Rhett, my loyal chow chow
tomorrow in the morning our lives will be new,
washed in good fortune and dollars like dew?"
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