One of my biggest
regrets
in life is
my inability to
return left-over
toothpaste
to its tube.

I can insert key to lock,
throw pill to mouth,
squeeze foot to sock,
slide letter to mailbox,
transfer love to heart—

but forget
cram toothpaste to tube.

Admittedly,
I’ve handicapped
myself—

I didn’t earn a
Harvard Law degree,
or Stanford PhD—

I’m not a Rhodes scholar,
or Oxford Fellow—

Cal Tech Engineer,
or win Summa Cum Laude honors.

Coupling those failures
with even a kindergartener’s

common sense,

makes life a constant
pothole.

No wonder
the toothpaste debacle.