Cast Wide for Third Eye

It’s got to be

real early

before cab brakes

whistle like clarinets

and the corner bum

snores Sam Cooke

The darkness

of these early hours

used to draw the eye downward

wary of cracked pavement,

looking for the sure step

but there’s less of that these days,

the sidewalk is smoother—

maybe not so many broken windows

I’m not sure it speaks to progress

because, well—

The school kids will soon start

their morning march

And I know for a fact

that their classrooms

are split still:

cleaved wide open

Hey, Ms. Johnson,

what do you have to say

to tri-lingual kids

who used to slalom

open manholes

in their strollers

like stock car racers?

I don’t know if this is progress,

or that we’re just more

eager to apply

lipsticks to pigs’ lips

Listen: can’t we just dispense

with cosmetics?

We’re a lot less eager

for the gastroenterologist,

optometrist;

stay away from the guts

don’t need to correct vision

where can I look for collective wisdom?