bad luck spot
one guy is drawing a flower
crushing green and yellow chalk on the pavement
watching him
we walk through a chalk sign that says
bad luck spot
we have to go back, i tell me wife
you have to walk through it backwards
why? she asks
to undo the curse, of course
she says, when did you become so superstitious?
when they found cancer
in my thirty-seven year old wife’s breast, i tell her
we stop walking
we watch as the man crushes more chalk for his flower
in the most basic sense he’s destroying something
in order to create beauty
in my way i’m trying to take a nightmare back
i didn’t believe that could happen, i continue
who in the hell knows what else i’m wrong about?
jesus? unicorns? ghosts?
compassionate conservatism?
american exceptionalism?
you really want me
to walk backwards through that? my wife says
we’ve enough bad luck for one lifetime, i say
it’s time for the tides to turn
my wife looks around
union square is packed
with the assorted mix of everyone
who make me want to move away
from new york city every day
this is stupid, she says
so is cancer, i tell her
we walk back to the spot on the pavement
some people are walking right through the bad luck spot
and others are walking around it
the guy drawing the flower takes a break
to wipe the crushed chalk from off of his hands
he’s watching everyone
i wonder if he wrote this sign too
i’m only doing this for you, my wife says
then she starts walking backward through the bad luck spot
laughing like a child with the sun behind her
and i can feel the magic working
as i stand there smiling
counting all of our old blessings
delivered by the alchemy at work
06.23.14
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