The American Standard is a Toilet in Wauseon, OH
*American Standard Co. is number one in the United States for brand familiarity in toilets and bathroom accessories
the American standard is a scripted wrestling match that is made only for entertainment purposes
it’s a five-year-old headless hula girl still shaking her hips on the sun-faded dashboard of a rusty pickup
the American standard is a job that you hate and can’t afford to escape. it’s a seven-day paycheck that only covers five
it’s a beautiful dream that you can never remember in the morning and it’s a bad dream that you remember every night
it’s a plastic pink flamingo with a broken wing. a trailer park with no playground. a hot rod on cinder blocks
the American standard is mercury in medicine, asbestos in oven mitts and cigarettes smoked for stress relief
it’s blind faith. blind trust. blind loyalty. blindsided blind eyes and blind spots. blind dates. blind alleys. blind ambitions
the American standard is chapter seven bankrupt. chapter 13 bankrupt. spiritually and emotionally and morally bankrupt.
it’s three dollars for tire air. five dollars for the dollar menu. two dollars at the dollar store and twenty where ten used to be
it’s a train with no horn. a school with no teacher. a hospital with no doctor. a church with no preacher or choir.
it’s two point seven divorces per household. two-point two cancer diagnoses. zero point one hopes left
it’s a palm tree painted on the side of a building in Illinois. a snowman made in Hawaii. an electric car driven in Texas
the American Standard is three minutes of TV commercials played on a radio. it’s an extended car warranty that doesn’t pay
the American Standard is a toilet in a bathroom in Wauseon, OH that has been out of toilet paper for three damn days
Dan Denton is a lifetime blue collar worker and union man that is bipolar and 19 years California sober. His poetry has won awards, his short fiction has been nominated for awards, and his novels have been praised and published in multiple countries. His work has often appeared in Toledo Streets Newspaper, a paper that benefits the homeless, and he’s proud to have been voted the best writer in his city, Toledo.
