line up
                                                                                                  
stand on one line to register 
at a clinic showing your card
to see medical staff on duty

sit and wait and wait and wait
until a guy rushes in fast talk
handing you some prescription

stand on a line marked exit 
to pay for the visit where they 
take checks cash or credit 

drive away cautiously sure
never to cross over any
double yellow traffic lines 

stand on winding line at 
drug counter now paying
for an unknown medicine

stand on L O N G line to buy 
something to eat unable 
to decipher nutrition labels  
                     
make sure to line up your 
car when you come home 
carefully keeping it vertical

walk quickly down that 
long line of apartments 
each door mud brown

this shows you follow the 
straight and narrow in this 
personal hell of lines

today’s bottom line is 
minus $220 and a small 
frozen pizza for dinner 


broken dream 

into dream of gray
imprisoned within gray stone

away from fragrant red roses
far from soft green grass

behind gray walls unable
to breathe in air like cement.

can you remember smooth 
oceans or recall falling stars?

imprisoned for too long.
walls begin to crack open

stones knocked over steel bars
crushed walls blasted into bits.

now you can breathe no longer 
enclosed finding this world 

this world lies in front of you 
pulsating alive free 


all the noise
                             
constant chatter of streaming news
death turmoil destruction spaced
with random acts of kindness

togetherness as families reunite
after leaving that COVID expanse
some young unable to walk now

policing and surveillance everywhere
yet vandals continue under
“boys will be boys” becoming men
  
pushing women around grabbing their
genitals blackening eyes burning down
houses cursing those who bring life
                                                           
drugs the great spider web to keep 
workers marching in step AND constant
appeals for donations to politicians

those who claim to be famous
are more infamous than ever
showing off their bling for brains


noon day demon

after police cars careened downtown
sirens screaming across streets
neighborhood schools locked down

after press reporters photographers
combed the vicinity canvassing
live witnesses or local authorities

after the gunman was shot down
but no one could understand his rage
camouflaged by quiet politeness

after helicopters lifted the injured from
wired baskets to trauma centers while
gleaming black bags were carried out

after everyone remarked how bright
blue morning had turned to blood red
afternoon marked by thin yellow tape
                              
after blinking lights ashen faces
cries of distress faded into gray
there was nothing to do but return

to business as usual 


Reservoir

I can no longer separate the poem from that day
both imperfect lonely paraphrasing.

Perhaps you can imagine air dense occasional sun
on face hard brown grass at the reservoir in
New England trees spill their leaves like many hands
falling in despair gulls crying crying at New England
reservoir rippling rippling how old I am becoming
searching still searching.

Too tired embarrassed nude inside why say anything
annoyed amazed at circles with circles diffusion
of leaves rings of water movement of people moving
moving all this moving toward no exact point
only this cluster of conjecture.