VII
Outrage meets opportunity
the confluence of Anger and Talent.
It’s not like the peasants were never armed.
It’s not like they couldn’t read a bus schedule.
today they stole it all
the city of walls easily breeched
whole collections of CEOs disappeared in seconds
gold parachutes do not open quickly
when thrown from the highest floor
It was a good moment,
a glorious moment
then the tide receded
leaving beached cities, begging for air
temporary assistance.
too big to fail
except everything was too big
the most neglected become the most angry
and in the end – they shattered the sky
using old plutonium with new resentment
The girl threw out a handful of dust
the grit blew away like starlings
fear into flying
she found herself on the web her legends lifted
re-purposed badly
can I fix these? she complained.
there isn’t enough electricity
Sam squinted at the sluggish blades
she continued to search for her gods
over the Sierras
the bone yards of wrecked trains
accordioned against the base of the mountain blackberries and poison oak
gold bars, black cooking pans
red parkas in summer
blue sandals in winter
The air was as transparent as a myth
she could melt her wax wings
under the implacable sky
squatted down and ran a finger over a solid bar so pretty; so insistent – take me, drink me
But after a few miles, too much
you could exchange the notebooks for it:
it’s valuable
all her notes fluttering
like the hawks after hitting a windmill
no, no, the stories stay.
She slid the bar out and it landed with a thump and puff of dust
he bent and shaved off a handful of wrinkled foil
lighter than air
heavy as greed.
This is one of eight chapters of Drinks @ the Last Cafe.
You can get a complimentary copy of the entire poem by leaving a helpful review for my new book, Deep Trouble
or for After I’m Buried Alive.
Notify me when you’ve posted the review – cbramkamp (at) gmail (dot) com and I will send you the ebook version along with my sincere thanks.
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