poem of the day 02.15.16

che guevara on the 4 train

che guevara is on the 4 train

in his field jacket and beret

getting jostled by straphangers

with big book bags and cell phones

he’s not even trying to hide the fact that it’s him

although his hair is a bit longer

and, of course, it’s gone gray

i want to ask him how he pulled it off

down there in bolivia

how he fooled us all and lived

but che looks like he hates

the 4 train as much as i do

it’s always packed no matter the time of day

and there’s always some asshole standing by the door

who makes it impossible for people

to get on and off at their stop

people are getting slashed

with razor blades down here

some lady got jabbed with a needle last week

and now she has to take these shots

for things like hepatitis and AIDS

i wonder what che guevara thinks about that

like maybe it’s time for a revolution on these trains

i imagine one must get tired of revolutions

of always having to liberate yourself

and a bunch of ungrateful people

che looks tired on this afternoon 4 train

tired of getting smacked with some dude’s book bag

tired of the chick screaming in her phone

and the fat ass trying to eat

an onion and scallion bagel over his head

the people on this train aren’t worth

fighting a revolution for

che and i should throw most of them to the dogs

then head to the MoMA

and catch the end of that picasso exhibit

discuss the benefits of genocide

over coffee or orange spiced tea

plus picasso was kind of a revolutionary too

he refused to leave france during the nazi occupation

and he painted guernica after all

although i don’t know what pablo thought

about the cuban revolution or che guevara

and i doubt he’s ever been on the 4 train

not even once

not even during rush hour

when revolutions are pipe dreams

and it’s every man for himself.