Often I wake
early mornings—crack of dawn
unlatch my window
and watch the shift change:
conveyor belt to breadline
and back again
each morning—crack of dawn
early mornings—crack of dawn
unlatch my window
and watch the shift change:
conveyor belt to breadline
and back again
each morning—crack of dawn
I let my head fall
until the bridge
of my nose is pressed hard
against knuckles and skin
until the bridge
of my nose is pressed hard
against knuckles and skin
8 million coffee pots, jack hammers,
garbage trucks, street sweepers—
garbage trucks, street sweepers—
The city is tickled from her stupor
And somewhere in the new sun
the “I” changes
the “I” changes
Not ocularis
but me.
but me.
Suddenly,
my capillaries fill and expand;
I am 20 feet tall,
then a hundred.
my capillaries fill and expand;
I am 20 feet tall,
then a hundred.
I could step down
from my fourth floor window
right onto the pavement
from my fourth floor window
right onto the pavement
Start ripping the tops
from supermarkets
and punching holes
through bank vaults
from supermarkets
and punching holes
through bank vaults
gather everything up
in my great big arms;
in my great big arms;
I feel my great big heart beating wildly.
I’d give it away!
I don’t want any of it!
I don’t want any of it!
I’d give it all away!
See if the shift change still happened
each morning—crack of dawn
See if the shift change still happened
each morning—crack of dawn
But I’m stuck,
my body having grown so large
too quickly:
my body having grown so large
too quickly:
one arm reaches through the door
and down the hall;
and down the hall;
the other punched through the brick
and now waves at the carwash men down below
and now waves at the carwash men down below
and my feet smashed right through
these cheap tenement walls
all plaster and lathe
and now occupy
Poor Ms. Esperanza's kitchen;
these cheap tenement walls
all plaster and lathe
and now occupy
Poor Ms. Esperanza's kitchen;
she attacks them ferociously,
thinking they’ve finally come for her—
thinking they’ve finally come for her—
Doesn’t much matter
if it’s the devil or the INS
if it’s the devil or the INS
They’ll get you in this life
or the next!
or the next!
#2
Often before sleep
I unlatch my window
and crane my neck
to watch the passersby,
I unlatch my window
and crane my neck
to watch the passersby,
each movement rendered red
in the faithful hum
of LED light:
in the faithful hum
of LED light:
“12 pk. bottled artisan water for $10.99!”
What do you mean you buy that ‘cause you like the taste?
my faucet gives me only rust, so fuck you!
my faucet gives me only rust, so fuck you!
Again, the “I” changes,
but quietly this time,
pulls out until I’m somewhere beyond the atmosphere;
but quietly this time,
pulls out until I’m somewhere beyond the atmosphere;
my skin shrivels in the cold,
there’s not so much glory in my heart anymore,
there’s not so much glory in my heart anymore,
so what if my brain cracks electric
a hundred billion times a second?
a hundred billion times a second?
All of a sudden
I am very small
I am very small
Like space opened up
along a deep fault
along a deep fault
groaned, yawned, and said
to everyone in a shouted whisper:
to everyone in a shouted whisper:
Gig’s up!
cosmic subversion trench
but for the briefest moment
space-walk-boog-a-loo
but for the briefest moment
space-walk-boog-a-loo
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