Superman
“It’s where I keep my work,”
he says, as he folds his cape
laying it gently inside his briefcase.
His fellow writers at the Daily Planet
think that it’s his column he carries --
not the weight of the world.
“I wish I could work like you,”
One of them says to him,
not knowing, really,
what he wished for.
Superman responded kindly:
“I wish I could work like you too”
knowing exactly what he wished for.
Superman put on his hat and coat
and picked up his briefcase
taking pride in the strength
it takes to make it all look easy.
He cradles trains in his hands,
catches speeding bullets,
jumps from tall buildings
but he never leans
his weight on anything.
The six o’clock train
was always crowded
and while he never slept
he longed for a carefree rest
he’s never known.
Walking along the platform
Superman carries his heavy case
with a practiced lightness—
hoping the folded newspaper
under his arm will distract
anyone from suspecting
the weight and shape
of his real burden.
© 2024 Gretchen L. Schmelzer, PhD