The Difference Between Pepsi and Coke -- David Lehman

(Poem #144)The Difference Between Pepsi and Coke Can't swim; uses credit cards and pills to combat     intolerable feelings of inadequacy; Won't admit his dread of boredom, chief impulse behind     numerous marital infidelities; Looks fat in jeans, mouths clichés with confidence,     breaks mother's plates in fights; Buys when the market is too high, and panics during     the inevitable descent; Still, Pop can always tell the subtle difference     between Pepsi and Coke, Has defined the darkness of red at dawn, memorized     the splash of poppies along Deserted railway tracks, and opposed the war in Vietnam     months before the students, Years before the politicians and press; give him     a minute with a road map And he will solve the mystery of bloodshot eyes;     transport him to mountaintop And watch him calculate the heaviness and height     of the local heavens; Needs no prompting to give money to his kids; speaks     French fluently, and tourist German; Sings Schubert in the shower; plays pinball in Paris;     knows the new maid steals, and forgives her. -- David Lehman