Monday, January 13, 2014

poem of the day 01.13.14


almost shakespearian

he says there’s too much blood
always too much blood, he shouts
into the brutal january cold

is he talking to me? i wonder
but then he starts pacing at the bus stop

they had me, he screams, for years they had me

where? where? i wonder
where in the hell did they have you?

everyone else seems to have moved away
and i worry that it would seem untoward if i did too

so i stand there like it ain’t nothing
waiting for a bus that’ll be late as always

a knife
a knife, he shouts
holding both hands toward the sky

it’s almost shakespearian in a way

maybe he’s an actor
though he seems too crazy even for the acting set

he’s in floods and a canvas coat
has three strands of hair left across the top of his head
and they’re blowing in the wind

it’s his red carpet get-up

and then there’s so much blood

i start to take a step back
but the bus is in the distance

so i buckle down
and hope this guy’s got nothing more in him
than this soliloquy

maybe i hope he’s not taking my bus

and they had me
they had me, he screams again
when the bus arrives

had you where?  i want to shout

i get on the bus pretty quickly
and sure enough he’s right behind me
huffing and almost out of breath

i tell the bus driver, man, we’re in for it
you watch my back and i’ll watch yours
but he just looks at me like i’m dog shit

don’t say i didn’t warn you, pal
i tell my reflection in his mirrored shades

then i head toward the back
hoping shakespeare doesn’t follow

the bus is close to empty
there’s one other lunatic aggressively licking his lips
and making appetizers out of his boogers

he’s muttering to himself too
maybe it’s something from marlowe

my crazy takes a seat right across from this one
and i expect explosions in the sky

but instead they shake hands
and start talking about the weather
how the jets and giants both blew it this year

just like two normal dullards going home
from a normal dullard job

while i sit there and think to myself
how this conversation suddenly seems insane

moaning to myself
they got me, they finally got me

as the bus starts up stillwell avenue
carrying us crazies off to our own calvary                                

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