some time ago

we finally paid attention

carefully listening to the city erect its boundaries

and all through the destruction,

we guessed when these machines would begin operating by themselves,

no one had plugged them in,

these things eventually take on a mind of their own

but soon the road called out to us

and in time

a marine from Quantico pulled over

cigarette butt hanging

bare foot stomping on the gas pedal,

a car with no brakes

and who were we to refuse honesty,

listening long and hard to his war stories,

shocked to learn

Lt. Calley deserved a Medal of Honor!

the soldier dropped us in Hartford

and we browsed leather boutique shops,

later breaking into rock and roll Trinity College dorm rooms,

while peeking into the vortex of the gathering New England clouds

once, as our fingers and tongues so anxiously

climbed into and out of each other,

we left the coeds gawking aloud,

wondering who who the real children were

and who were the babysitters

after sipping carbonated wine,

we looked for something to smoke

and waited for the evening's exercises to begin,

debating the proposition: "we're Protestant, yet Catholic"

finally, during the program

the audience at last was informed

Christian rainstorms frequent more regularly than Jewish baths,

but with immaculate water so scarce these days,

we could only sit scratching each other's backs

for just so long

before heading for the last exit

4/10/71

Hartford, Conn