I imagine the Office of Signage

within the Department of Public Works

has a book of haiku lying open

on a table with an interesting shape,

and the Director, a thoughtful man

of very few words, is steering

a hot cup of tea with both hands

up to his lips, staring

meditatively out a window

when his secretary opens the door

and introduces me.

I imagine I feel nervous

but recognize hanging on the walls

some of his most famous work

which of course I know by heart,

and that puts me at ease.

As I wait for him to speak

a car screeches, a horn

blats its blunt editorial.

He straightens three exactly right words

in a polygon hanging by the thermostat,

picks up the book of haiku

and reads a couple or reads

one a couple of times,

then smiles privately to himself.

That’s when I hold out my imaginary

resume which he places in the book

and closes the book, so now I imagine

I’m holding his place with my foot

in the door.

Paul Hostovsky is the author of three books of poetry and seven poetry chapbooks. His poems have won a Pushcart Prize and been featured on Poetry Daily, Verse Daily, The Writer’s Almanac, and Best of the Net 2008 and 2009. His latest book of poems is A Little in Love a Lot (2011, Main Street Rag). (paulhostovsky.com)