Ode to a Beaten Church
barrooms as homes for broken generations
barrooms as homes for broken generations
fleeing intently
fleeing intently
runaway railroad cars
runaway railroad cars
streaming down toothless tracks
streaming down toothless tracks
wet with the fire of endless failures
wet with the fire of endless failures
attitudes of garnished laughter
attitudes of garnished laughter
wild, sad enough to avoid the constant barroom tv blue light,
wild, sad enough to avoid the constant barroom tv blue light,
stagnant cold beers,
stagnant cold beers,
the screaming obscenities of doctors’ reports
the screaming obscenities of doctors’ reports
faking hip empathic carings,
faking hip empathic carings,
avoiding waitresses nervously eyeing the quiet troublemaker,
avoiding waitresses nervously eyeing the quiet troublemaker,
alcohol can transform anyone
alcohol can transform anyone
change a soccer player into a dramatist
change a soccer player into a dramatist
alter ego
alter ego
develop clichés
develop clichés
words with no depth
words with no depth
exaggerate whispers from flirtatious animals in heat
exaggerate whispers from flirtatious animals in heat
who once collectively realized their lives were on the line
who once collectively realized their lives were on the line
but still chose audacious clothes and thick red cough syrup,
but still chose audacious clothes and thick red cough syrup,
the forsaken generations
the forsaken generations
forgetting the struggles of those before this Poetry,
forgetting the struggles of those before this Poetry,
instead listening to the migraine of television,
instead listening to the migraine of television,
bookless,
bookless,
collapsing into each others’ external fantasies of
collapsing into each others’ external fantasies of
hot rock and roll,
hot rock and roll,
cool music
cool music
loud music
loud music
gesticulating music,
gesticulating music,
wilting beneath skeletons with groomed hair and shiny silver nails
wilting beneath skeletons with groomed hair and shiny silver nails
retreating like punching bags
retreating like punching bags
then returning to revisit the inertia of violence,
then returning to revisit the inertia of violence,
more of the same
more of the same
as it was the last time,
as it was the last time,
all those generations,
all those generations,
careless,
careless,
wallowing:
wallowing:
where mass media at last has replaced any image of self-respect,
where mass media at last has replaced any image of self-respect,
where the children sing car commercials,
where the children sing car commercials,
unchanged sad helpless somnambulant eternal desolation angels
unchanged sad helpless somnambulant eternal desolation angels
so confused of what to live for,
so confused of what to live for,
the blatant repetition of contentedness,
the blatant repetition of contentedness,
nothing extraordinary here,
nothing extraordinary here,
no crisis here,
no crisis here,
no dim vague puzzling streets to glimpse a miracle of the mind’s breath,
no dim vague puzzling streets to glimpse a miracle of the mind’s breath,
only polite cynical laughter with the trimmings,
only polite cynical laughter with the trimmings,
simple hospitality of this age destined to reinvent slavery
simple hospitality of this age destined to reinvent slavery
shackled to their barroom dreams so consistent and predictable,
shackled to their barroom dreams so consistent and predictable,
only the rapists and destiny hitters now take to the stage,
only the rapists and destiny hitters now take to the stage,
screw Lenny Bruce
screw Lenny Bruce
Emily who
Emily who
and forget Ginsberg-
and forget Ginsberg-
the American banking system has become bard and laureate!
the American banking system has become bard and laureate!
oh where are my armies now?
oh where are my armies now?
have we forsaken ourselves
have we forsaken ourselves
one another
one another
to the incessant volume of mass media?
to the incessant volume of mass media?
does it always take tidal waves
does it always take tidal waves
fires in the night
fires in the night
to sober us up straight again?
to sober us up straight again?
so relaxed we are
so relaxed we are
mass alienated apathy on the tip of a match,
mass alienated apathy on the tip of a match,
striking,
striking,
cosmic suicide and romantic decadence out of control,
cosmic suicide and romantic decadence out of control,
deodorized and passionless
deodorized and passionless
obese and swooning the surface of an apology
obese and swooning the surface of an apology
yes, it is us we need to declare
yes, it is us we need to declare
gaze intently into each other’s mirrors before the magic’s all used up
gaze intently into each other’s mirrors before the magic’s all used up
becomes confined
becomes confined
impassable like frozen waterlines out there lifeless
impassable like frozen waterlines out there lifeless
beneath some lonely midnight below zero highway
beneath some lonely midnight below zero highway
waiting for cigarette butts and phantom secretaries to fill in the potholes
waiting for cigarette butts and phantom secretaries to fill in the potholes
choosing immobility
choosing immobility
mindlessly leaning over perfect tables to discern the violence of prostitution,
mindlessly leaning over perfect tables to discern the violence of prostitution,
the clash of old discarded paradigms
the clash of old discarded paradigms
the cruelty of alienation
the cruelty of alienation
the onslaught of specialization
the onslaught of specialization
the brutality of voluntary generational suicide…
the brutality of voluntary generational suicide…
we are witnesses to the explosion of two runaway trains
we are witnesses to the explosion of two runaway trains
that cannot coexist on the same track
that cannot coexist on the same track
1980
1980
Tucson
Tucson