Two collages and a poem by Steve Dalachinsky

The BARD (A Perfect Day #2) (for Allen Ginsberg)

the Bard
is Dead
yet 76 yr. old Marvin Shapiro
“homeless”
still walks around shouting
“…Cyanide metal poisoning. Cyanide metal
poisoning. The Surgeon General blew it in my
face.”

it’s a cold-for-this-time-of-year
afternoon
& tonight i’ll make another
attempt at looking for the be-bop
comet

We all arrive as free “MEN”
& SLAVES

slaves to breath
to food
to money

slaves to mothers
to children

cat slaves
dog slaves

slaves to windows
walls
telephones
& sex

bicycle riding our broken hearts
from egypt to africa to rome

jesus was a slave &
moses a slave to his god
Leadbelly  the Son of Slaves
& me too   probably me

we are slaves to Evolution
to the System
to Natural & unNatural History
to Industry & advertising & our
Selves

it’s a cold spring day
& the Bard is Dead
& our bodies are for rent
& Marvin Shapiro
the lonely plague-infested jew
wanders around day & night
with his pockets stuffed
& his umbrella close &
swinging –
just in case

the chinese gave the japanese
everything
including their respect
yet ended up their Slaves

epictetus taught aurelius
all he knew
yet he was his  Slave

cowboys & indians   Slaves
slaves to religion & music &
LOVE

many sold their kith & kin
as slaves

gypsies  poets scholars & fools
were slaves
concentrated & killed

I’M a SLAVE to YOU

we all arrive
as FREE MEN & SLAVES
slaves to sorrow
sickness &
JOY

slaves to Weather
flower &
time

to Life
sleep
consumption
Dying
&
WORDS

the Bard is Dead
but his poems are not
& his spirit set free
now resides with the ghosts
who charge aimlessly about this Patterson sky
this impossibly perfect Patterson sky…