waitress clearing tables
dishwasher humming top 40 hits
taxi waiting at curb
someone left italian sunglasses
between empty bowls of olives: no tip
it would be nice to get involved
in a tragic situation
someplace dangerous like a bathroom
plenty of running water
white ceramic reflections
effect the brain subliminally
they would fit in any pocket
Q: how much LSD does it take to kill an elephant?
A: in 1962 a male elephant died
after being injected with 300,000 micrograms
simple as riding bicycles
her wet rag moving closer
wiping tables clean for new players
Q: is it ever too late?
A: young goatherds in kirghiz work all year
for enough opium to last one winter
last night six teenagers
set fire to my apartment
sunglasses are incidental
expendable accessories
could it be the rain?
the corners of her eyes?
it would be nice to play it safe
make a living pushing buttons
she’s lighting a cigarette
too much bad coffee: five cups
no place better to spend time or money
dishwasher improvising blues
Q: most burglaries are committed:
a) on moonless nights
b) by average citizens on the job
c) inside the temple of boredom
doors open to wet roadnoise
two teenagers empty into chairs
loosen tops to all salt ’n pepper shakers
waitress asks what they want
they want it all right now: two cokes to go
nothing strange in public places
T or F: if every cafe in america was stacked one atop the other
there would be no need for a space program
teenagers snatch sunglasses from the next table
and walk out like they own the whole damn city
waitress smiles at a bad joke
dollar on the table: keep the change
Last Poems--Outsider Art 