I'm afraid this piece is as contrived as the situation which gave rise to it. Hopefully not...

The Perfect End
I am self-consciously poetic.
Which is usually a little awkward,
Like the girl at the end of a romance
Who says wouldn't this be the perfect end to my novel?
Sure it's postured and contrived, but also gratifying.

Take for example the other day,
When I used a glass-bottle soda cap as a little ashtray.
I filled it up and left it on the coffeeshop table.
I would feel let down if I discovered that
The person who sat down after me
Failed to write a poem about my ashtray.