Cartoon characters
drawn in earth tone shades
come alive as I slowly
flip through the pages.

Smirking horsehead saw
with rusty nail legs
gives a toothy grin
as penguin faucets
wearing bright red high tops
run by.

A crow bar beagle
looks puzzled,
not sure what is going on
he walks away
following his enlarged
wooden handle nose.

A red rake
in businessman attire,
furrows his eyebrows
above a deep frown
as only one green leaf
is caught in his tines.

His neighbor,
wearing a dirt brown
suit of his own,
covers his face with a spigot
laughing in spite of himself.

A crescent wrench plumber
shrugs,
hands in pockets
of his bib overalls
he carries on
as if nothing unusual
is happening at all.

Rugby player nut cracker
dives to catch a ball
with a snap
of his claw-like hands;
wobbly Spanish
nut and bolt girl, in her
grey dress with white polka dots
balances precariously on
spiky white heels;
new age corkscrew guy
with black curly beard and
jutting forehead hair, tattoo
on his arm adding to his hip
attitude;

Crescent wrench plumber
ignores them all,
nothing unusual
in his ordinary day.