Found in a Box

It was this toy in a box
but it was not really a toy at all
that got me thinking
about how fragile
the whole shootin' match is

pitching camp
warming up the coffee
real close by
is death
prefaced by a little joy
the very few joys
of this here life
in a brown unmarked box
this toy
you squeeze the rubber bulb
and it does funny things
obscene and yet so to the point
of why we are here
or at least it's part of the reason

we breathe
so carefully
taking out insurance
that each breath
will be a good one
that each breath
will be followed
by another
for quite some time

sometimes you get one
that has a flaw
a mistake
the bulb doesn't work
which makes for a lousy toy
really not a toy at all