Michael Cadnum is the author of thirty-seven books, including the National Book Award finalist The Book of the Lion.  Several of Cadnum's books have been released as audio books by Audible, and Open Road has published e-book editions of many of his classic thrillers.  His most recent books are Earthquake Murder:  short fiction, and a book of animal poetry titled Kingdom.  A new book of poems, The Promised Rain, is in-progress. He lives in Albany, California.

Follow him on Twitter @MichaelCadnum.


 

Now available--my animal poems in one volume. 

 https://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-poetry-Michael-Cadnum/dp/1717398391/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536152193&sr=8-1&keywords=kingdom+cadnum&dpID=41Z0JEHFWhL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

 





The Novice

Cherished over-achiever, what praise
you earn from your master
will be your payment entire.
You are bound to bend at your work all morning,
and then do the books, help with
the billing, and when all that's done
climb onto the roof and hammer
loose shingles into place against the summer rain.

You've no inkling that he can never pay you.
Your maturing skills are wonders,
and your faith that soon you will be enriched
or even simply justly compensated another marvel
of the kingdom, like the long twilights,
or the ripening orchards along the shore.

Your on again, off again cynicism,
is an affectation, a philosophy you
can never maintain for long.
You are too weighted with devotion to
your own sharpening powers,
and when your master turns to you
to correct his spelling his trust lifts you
more than any praise he could give.
But that comes as well, beautifully done,

better than I could manage myself,
all of this too true as outside
another season settles down over the land
you loved when you had time,
even as your master drowses or
drinks himself into another reverie,
and you surpass him in every aspect
of wisdom except that you still believe.

The Novice first appeared in Blue Unicorn.