Another sestina from the mind of Mary ….

American Spunk Catalog

a)    American
b)    Marvel
c)    Spunk
d)    Dream
e)    Catalog
f)    Change

Look! It’s an American!
Is he ugly, or a marvel?
You have to admit, he has a certain spunk.
In his eye, there is a dream.
In his mind, there is a catalog.
His gait speaks of restless change.

Hey, buddy, can you spare some change
For this impoverished American?
He wants to buy a catalog,
Flimsy pages of pictures over which he can marvel,
Pump hope into his dream
Of adventures filled with spunk.

What is this thing called spunk?
Can its energy foster true change
Out of an invisible dream?
Or will it cause our American
To merely twitch in impotent marvel
As he gathers ideas while perusing his catalog?

And here we see the catalog
Itself, packed with items sure to inspire spunk,
Its black and white drawings intended to make kids and adult marvel
Over each product’s promise of change.
The story of the idealistic American
In reality is no more than a dream.

But, hey, why not dream –
Keep a running catalog
Of all things uniquely American?
The rugged individuality, the classic spunk.
No need to wait. It’s time to change,
To become a Captain Marvel.

For without the ability to marvel,
The mind’s rattling dream
Would remain mere pocket change,
An empty catalog
Of immaterial spunk
Giving no definition to our authentic American.

Truly, the delightful marvel of our American
Is that he is not some dream, nor a cliché of spunk,
But a kaleidoscope of change, a page-turning possibility catalog.