coco nara

Coals breathe with glowing ferocity

That comes from somewhere I am not.

The wind blows, pages turning,

The tree limbs are lit from beneath

With false light, painted summer for the last few

Days.  I sit out on the roof every night

Trying not to drink. If the day goes by,

an intake, without rain,

then my knees will bend and hurt

As they spin over desolated streets

Beneath skyscrapers. If the night goes by, an

Out, fan churning the creaking scraping rumbling

Of my sleepless foundations grinding down

Into the earth, then we will

get to the next one. What

fills these days of awe? Where

has it poured out?

The schuykill river splashes up

Onto my shoulders and smells of gasoline.

A child is going out on the water for the first time.

His aunt looks silly in a too large yellow life vest,

but she will not take him back to shore.

The coal trains go over the old bridge above our head

And we look at each other, both wondering why suddenly

We are in the flurry crows and the air carries the linden trees

To us, and it is cloudy out. I do not know.

I do not know.

I roll up my sleeves at work,

Cordone off different parts

And smile a sleepy smile

At everyone who wants a sleepy smile.

Women write their numbers on checks

Though I wear my ring on my left hand.

When the old folks come before

Their lecture, all I can think,

Is how miserable they are, only speaking of death

And complaining about the chairs, with so much money

And life left, it isn’t fair. Even now a mystery is whispered

Inside me, I know jake heard it through his blood even

As it went flat; even sid as he called out for help,

a sound I’d never heard , knew it like a bird call,

knew it like a song. “Never let me be that.”

I roll up my sleeves.

My hair is on end with anger at this.

Where has it poured out?

Where have they gone?

The city is built on living ground,

Snagged amongst plants everywhere growing

Everywhere surging up between the lattice of concrete.

Where do you think the roots go to drink?

I am so very thirsty.