Narrative
To begin here: at the coffee shop,
a five year old boy sits
quietly drinking milk. Across the table,
his mother sits slightly turned
away, talks on her cell phone.
Time lapse twenty minutes—the scene stays the same. Or to begin
earlier, to begin here: the problem:
university budget crisis. The answer:
today’s headline: cut
the women’s studies program, cut
Chinese. A letter to the editor
about freedom of speech
and patriotism. And even before this:
I am reminded of the lines:
Every day in every way. America equals ghost.And earlier, the song on the radio: do, do-do,
do-do-do-do, do-do.Or to begin again, to have a fresh start,
a “clean slate” and whatnot: To feel pulled in
on myself. To feel your tides pull me
past the limit.
To feel your tides pull me to pieces.
Sources:“Every day in every way. America equals ghost.” comes from Joseph Lease’s poem
“broken world” (for James Assalty).“Do, do-do, do-do-do-do, do-do” comes from Lou Reed’s song “Take a Walk on the
Wild Side.”