poem of the day 11.30.10

where have all of the people gone?

i swear that i used to see them
all of the time as a kid

these magnificent creatures

full of laughter and grit

full of life and piss and shit

full of heart and nerve

full of beauty

but now i only see
these common dull lumps of flesh

riding buses

talking on phones

waiting for subway trains

sitting at desks
glued to computers

hunched over pints
in empty bars

watching television

carrying shopping bags
down 28th street

or drinking beer in my living room

and now i’m not sure
that i’d ever seen one
in the first place.