Monochromatics

airplanes

airplanes pose in the sky
pregnant dream from far away
they slip into sight
imponderable urges
thrust on engines
measured in thousands of pounds
memories of how slow we are
how our dreams are
earthbound

bar be que

next to wood
we like to burn
flesh

the bomb

the bomb is there because we want it
we love the bomb, it excites us
the bomb won’t embarrass you in front of your friends
the bomb is the smart thing to do
the bomb is an egg
the bomb is a big lie
the bomb is a message in the air
the bomb is your best friend

a million times a night
an explosion in your dreams
the bomb is our mother, our father, our family
the bomb will stay up with you all night
if you are scared, or sick, or lonely
the bomb is a dog that will fetch a stick
dumb and dependable, the bomb will do what you tell it to do

the bomb is always with us
we invited the bomb in
and now we can’t get it off the sofa
the party is over
and the bomb has drunk all the beer
we are very thirsty
we want the bomb to go home
you think the bomb doesn’t know that?
the bomb resents our attitude
the bomb wants us to get behind it
after all the bomb is only human

the bomb is just doing its job
a job no one else will do
the bomb loves its work
it’s what it was born to do
and it’s our responsibility
we accepted the bomb
made it one of the family
we can’t turn our back on the bomb now
the bomb didn’t ask to be the bomb
we can’t just close our eyes and wish it away

perhaps the bomb should be retrained
the bomb would make a great psychiatrist
after all the bomb needs us as well
the bomb doesn’t want to be left alone
the bomb would like the party to continue
we love the bomb—it excites us

cloth

cloth is the talk
about talking
where does it start?
how long does this continue?
when does it stop?
no one agrees what is
if what is an answer

everyone agrees to pull it apart
and everyone pulls it apart
and everyone is left with threads

evidently, it is difficult to experiment with
demands special tools and knowledge
and cannot be put back together
as easily as pulled apart
it won’t reveal
what you don’t want others to know
but that’s not what cloth is about
cloth is what it’s about

concrete

each morning America wakes up to a new hamburger
and the unbound road winds round the world
wrapping it for delivery to the house of tomorrow
as another truck rushes by with a whirling
belly of concrete ready to be made into the newest
ruins because concrete makes the best rubble
and history is only ground beef waiting
to be cast into stone anytime of day or night

factory

birth of the locomotive
more powerful than
the dream of superman
metronome, measurement,
scale, our sight is chromed
exhaust systems, thank you
for your present, this is
the skin of our new era

fashion

animals always walk
like they’re wearing high heels

fish hook

everytime I turn on the TV
right through the eye

grass

grass is unusual
it was invented by the Romans
unlike most people grass stays where it grows
if grass had gone to the moon it would be there today
grass looks luxurious
people put it wherever they can
a wedge of grass can split a sidewalk
city block, manhattan skyscraper
make a dog sick
step on grass; it deserves it

light bulb

nipple of light
best friend in the dark
how i love to watch you
fill up
lonely little star
only one in my ceiling
all night
sixty, forty, frosted, plain

moire

pattern of a pattern
oil in a street puddle
you find a plastic fish
in the sunlight it glistens
you say to yourself, “it gleams”

razor

the razor is blonde with blue eyes
the tears are black
and the edge is white fire
in the glare of the streetlight

to love the razor
it must be an extension of the hand
a bone of steel
pared to essence

the blade is quick
the edge is fear
the razor traces a red line
the drunken weave of our victim
dances for us beneath the pale moon

this is what we worship
this is what we fear
this is the way we live

slavery

successfully saved
from extinction

truck

ten tons of steel
shimmers on the highway
like a plate glass window
i look through
and see a mighty animal we have built
powerful, beautiful, full of love
i want to pet
and feed you
bring you everything
you want
thousands of miles dwarfed
into exotic fruit
fragrant lips engulfing
this seed from far away
what would fulfill you?
tell me, command me
i would nurture you
from strange, distant fields

wood

wood is only
an imitation
of steel