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…
Leave a Reply