Open Out in the Middle of the Everywhere
I
This silence began
with the noise of the city
Han Shan speaks of it
It is to help the Soul
Be
Like the Breath of the
Breathless
Suspended
Open
When that happens
there can be speaking
without so much
senseless
II
Through blue flare of
Ratan chair shadow fold of
scarred wall in
One Peacock feather
flare the
shapes and colors of the
Universe turn on the
Eye of the Soul
Skirt flare and soft
Sudden close to grace of
Body move
Stepping on or off of subways
Turn their beauty from
each other all that
waste of love
Only bird tracks
The snow is almost
Blue
-
All that noise
Fire engines
Crawling through snow
-
Faucet water
So cold it felt
Hot
-
Walking in the blizzard
A little boy
Gave Shellen a rubber ball
-
Stephen called me in to see a
New Mobile
Painted turpentine can hung and
Spinning
We watched
It said
Boing
-
Footsteps bumpbangs above
Piano plunks below
Plaster falling off the walls
Twice the plumbers tore out the kitchen sink
Once the bathroom
Old black red cockroach cold buildings
Shiny cars bumper to bumper around the block
-
South Indian flute, drums
Sun on my glasses from
Windows across the street
Laundromat morning
Dropped one dime
Forgot to ask someone to find it
Put three dimes on machine
Came back they were gone
Smile and gesture lady said she
Had a rat
Dog was even scared
Told it with her hands
Machine roar to dark lady
Long boy and I trying to
Hear
Came home
Bumped my head on the bathroom sink
-
Garbage cans and
Traffic lights
In Snow
Stephen closed the door
Bottle broke in the street
Maybe he’s gone to visit the squirrels
-
Pigeons and papers today
Flapping
and yesterday
Yellow and Orange Pink clothes
Grey sun afternoon and
Smoke
-
January February
We hear little kids outside
Just before we go to sleep
-
Stephen came back said
‘Hi”
Pen sound on notebook
Nose sniff
-
In the park
We watched dogs bark at each other
-
Little red truck towing a
Huge pink van
In the snow
Yellow garbage truck then a
Black Volkswagen
-
I watched them play in the snow
Sometimes
I couldn’t tell the kids from their dogs
Sky and snow with
Sun
After all that blizzard
Then branches full of
Bird racket.
Knee deep at the park fence
A dark bird flew down then
-
Truck with trailer full of
Snow
-
First time I’d ever seen it
Street lamp at the edge of the park
-
Snow to the top of the fenders
Its sign said
Air conditioning
-
Snow plow
Split pea soup smell
Two shopping bags
One on the floor one
In the floor
-
Split pea soup is
Salt in to aluminum water
Washing peas wondering if they’re
Supposed to be washed and
Onion crying in to garbage sack or maybe that’s
Cockroach rain
-
Light
On Cheekbones
-
Yesterday Pigeons
White on grey asphalt
Today Pigeons
Grey in white snow
Don’t want to flush toilet Afraid it would wake up Shellen
This silence began
with the noise of the city
Han Shan speaks of it
It is to help the Soul
Be
Like the Breath of the
Breathless
Suspended
Open
When that happens
there can be speaking
without so much
senseless
II
Through blue flare of
Ratan chair shadow fold of
scarred wall in
One Peacock feather
flare the
shapes and colors of the
Universe turn on the
Eye of the Soul
Skirt flare and soft
Sudden close to grace of
Body move
Stepping on or off of subways
Turn their beauty from
each other all that
waste of love
Only bird tracks
The snow is almost
Blue
-
All that noise
Fire engines
Crawling through snow
-
Faucet water
So cold it felt
Hot
-
Walking in the blizzard
A little boy
Gave Shellen a rubber ball
-
Stephen called me in to see a
New Mobile
Painted turpentine can hung and
Spinning
We watched
It said
Boing
-
Footsteps bumpbangs above
Piano plunks below
Plaster falling off the walls
Twice the plumbers tore out the kitchen sink
Once the bathroom
Old black red cockroach cold buildings
Shiny cars bumper to bumper around the block
-
South Indian flute, drums
Sun on my glasses from
Windows across the street
Laundromat morning
Dropped one dime
Forgot to ask someone to find it
Put three dimes on machine
Came back they were gone
Smile and gesture lady said she
Had a rat
Dog was even scared
Told it with her hands
Machine roar to dark lady
Long boy and I trying to
Hear
Came home
Bumped my head on the bathroom sink
-
Garbage cans and
Traffic lights
In Snow
Stephen closed the door
Bottle broke in the street
Maybe he’s gone to visit the squirrels
-
Pigeons and papers today
Flapping
and yesterday
Yellow and Orange Pink clothes
Grey sun afternoon and
Smoke
-
January February
We hear little kids outside
Just before we go to sleep
-
Stephen came back said
‘Hi”
Pen sound on notebook
Nose sniff
-
In the park
We watched dogs bark at each other
-
Little red truck towing a
Huge pink van
In the snow
Yellow garbage truck then a
Black Volkswagen
-
I watched them play in the snow
Sometimes
I couldn’t tell the kids from their dogs
Sky and snow with
Sun
After all that blizzard
Then branches full of
Bird racket.
Knee deep at the park fence
A dark bird flew down then
-
Truck with trailer full of
Snow
-
First time I’d ever seen it
Street lamp at the edge of the park
-
Snow to the top of the fenders
Its sign said
Air conditioning
-
Snow plow
Split pea soup smell
Two shopping bags
One on the floor one
In the floor
-
Split pea soup is
Salt in to aluminum water
Washing peas wondering if they’re
Supposed to be washed and
Onion crying in to garbage sack or maybe that’s
Cockroach rain
-
Light
On Cheekbones
-
Yesterday Pigeons
White on grey asphalt
Today Pigeons
Grey in white snow
Don’t want to flush toilet Afraid it would wake up Shellen